Akatsuki's Legend
by Itachi-21
Summary: Orochimaru's desire for revenge has driven him to create "replacements" using the Akatsuki's chakra patterns and DNA. The "replacements" must struggle through every day, fighting against their destiny.
1. Before the Storm

_**I don't own the Akatsuki characters, Orochimaru, and Kabuto. However, I own any new characters that do not exist in the original series.**_

A shadowy figure stood alone in the clearing. A cold breeze blew through the trees surrounding the clearing, and the figure's cloak flapped around his ankles. A full moon shone in the sky with thin clouds occasionally drifting across it.  
Suddenly, the figure turned around to stare at another someone walking towards him in the distance. His yellow eyes seemed to glow eerily. He waited until the person came closer before speaking. His voice was soft and sounded like the hissing of a snake.

"You're late, Kabuto."  
The second hooded figure got down on one knee. "My apologies, Orochimaru-sama. I needed to take utmost precaution since it is the Akatsuki I was dealing with."

Orochimaru ignored his companion's excuse. "Do you have it?"

Kabuto withdrew a tightly bound scroll from underneath his cloak. Orochimaru's eyes gleamed when he saw the scroll.

"Are you sure everything is sealed in this?"

Kabuto nodded, and his eyes showed no uncertainty. Orochimaru took the scroll from Kabuto with a feeling of triumph. At last, he would be able to get revenge on those who dared to humiliate him! His cackle of satisfaction was masked by the thunder that crashed overhead as storm clouds obscured the moon completely and darkness was thrown over the small clearing.

Far from this place, the Akatsuki continued with their daily lives, unaware of the fury that would be unleashed on them.

**_That was my first chapter of my first ever fanfiction. The more interesting parts will come in the future chapters, so please be patient. Thank you for taking the time to read! _**


	2. Introductions

_**Here's the second chapter. Sorry I made you wait. I thought that I would post as many chapters as possible before I become engulfed in schoolwork and violin exams. Plus, I'm moving soon, so don't be surprised if there's a large time gap between chapters.**_

The teenage boy opened his eyes to see a large cell in a dank, foreboding dungeon. There were only two torches that were lit. Their feeble flames threw flickering shadows on the walls. Sitting up, the boy looked around and saw that he wasn't alone in the cell. There were nine others accompanying him. A black-haired girl was sitting in the corner.

"Ummm…excuse me?" She looked up at his voice.

"You're awake," her voice was soft and quiet, almost like music.

"Do you know where we are?" the boy asked, hopeful for information.

She didn't reply but continued to stare into his eyes. The intensity in her eyes made him shiver, and he quickly looked away. A guard walked past the cell, and the boy attempted to get an answer from the guard. However, the guard merely told him to shut up and walked on.

"You won't get anything out of them," he jumped at his companion's voice.

He whirled around. "Can you not scare me like that?"

"My apologies."

Silence. "What's your name?" the boy asked, wanting to break the awkwardness.

"Karasu. And according to that sign, your name is Tenchi," she pointed to the wooden plaque nailed to the wall.

A groan came from the group of unconscious teens. A red-haired girl was slowly rising. She blinked a couple of times.

"Who are you?" she asked Karasu and Tenchi.

They introduced themselves, and the girl found her name on the board, which was Ningyou.

One by one, the others woke up as well with similar reactions as Ningyou.

The girl with short and spiky orange hair claimed the name of Itami. Then, there was a group of green-haired twins, except one was black and the other was white. The black one's is Kuroi, and the white one is called Shiro. Nendo turned out to be the boy with long blonde hair, and the girl with long gray hair is Fumetsu. Sutetchi had stitches all over his body, and his eyes didn't have pupils. The last one, Sakan, had blue skin and hair and gills under his eyes.

"Does anyone know where the hell this is?" Fumetsu asked, sounding very impatient.

"If I knew, I would have told everyone by now," Sutetchi retorted.

"It's so cold," Shiro complained.

"We should find a way to get out of here," Itami started to say but was interrupted by Karasu, who had stood up and was examining the stone walls. "Karasu-san, what are you doing?"

"Looking for a weak spot," Karasu answered, "And I found one."

Pointing to a spot on the wall, she said, "An explosion should be able to get us out of here through there."

"None of us have explosives," Ningyou stated.

"We can steal one from a guard." Sutetchi sounded excited. One of his stitches had worked loose and was waving around.

Footsteps echoed through the dungeon. Sutetchi quickly withdrew the thread before the guard saw it. As the guard walked past, the thread swiftly and silently snuck a paper bomb from his pocket.

Tenchi stuck the paper to the wall, and everyone quickly scurried away from the spot.

_**All of the replacements have been introduced. I'm sure you'd be able to guess who is replacing whom from their descriptions. Third chapter is soon to come!**_


	3. Escape

_**Things are going to start getting better from here. Please review so I can improve. Just so you know, anything in **__italics __**is a thought, anything **_**bolded **_**is spoken by black Zetsu or Kuroi, and any jutsu performed will be **_underlined_**.**_

BOOM!

The wall was blasted apart, and the ten of them were free. They raced outside before any guards could come to see what was going on. Once outside, they caught a glimpse of the building they were trapped in. It was made of stone and towered above them. Moss lined the walls, and shouting could be heard from inside. Their escape had already been noticed. Without further ado, all ten of them fled into the forest. Hidden by the undergrowth, they paused to watch guards run past them in pursuit. Nobody saw them; their escape plan succeeded!

"That was awesome!" Fumetsu stretched out on a flat rock nearby, only to be prodded up by Sakan.

"We can't rest here. We have to get further away from this place or we'll be caught again," growled Sakan.

"Where's Shiro?" Itami interrupted.

"**He went to look for a place to hide**," Kuroi replied.

"By himself?" Sutetchi looked worried.

"**I can tell where he is. Don't worry**."

"That must be one of your abilities, hmm," Nendo said.

"Do all of us have some kind of special ability?" Ningyou asked, curious.

"Most likely. I mean, Sutetchi has those threads, and Kuroi and Shiro have some kind of telepathic communication," Tenshi interjected.

"What about the rest of us?" Ningyou questioned.

"Maybe ours hasn't shown up yet. Not all of us had a god-damned chance to show off our abilities, you know!" Fumetsu shouted from where she was arguing with Sakan.

"Silence!" Karasu suddenly hissed from where she was peering out at the building.

Everyone fell silent immediately, intimidated by the mysterious girl.

"There's someone out there. He's not going anywhere. He's just…standing there, looking in this direction," Karasu reported.

"Maybe he heard Fumetsu shouting," Sakan suggested with a glare at Fumetsu. Fumetsu shot him a look that wished him a painful death.

"No," Karasu countered, "He's been staring over here since he came out."

Itami opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by Shiro, who just returned.

"I found a place," he announced.

"That's great. Where?" Tenchi asked.

It was Kuroi who replied, "**It's an abandoned house a considerable distance from here. Made of wood. Smells terrible, but it's safe**."

"Let's go!" Itami said eagerly.

Karasu tore her gaze from the stationary figure, "Hurry."

Shiro and Kuroi led the group to the house. Itami asked Shiro to remain on guard and Kuroi was supposed to warn the group if unwanted company arrived. The rest of the group entered the house cautiously, then separated to explore more. It was like a tomb in the house, and almost everyone jumped when Fumetsu let out a cry.

"Look what I found!"

The others arrived to see her holding a deadly-looking scythe. Fumetsu was admiring every angle of it; she obviously preferred it for a weapon.

"Don't scare us like that next time, hmm!" Nendo snapped.

"It's not my fault you guys get scared easily!" Fumetsu retorted, sticking her tongue out at Nendo.

Nendo snarled but went back to where he was digging around in a pile of old papers. Everyone else returned to their original positions before Fumetsu's outburst. Complete silence fell upon the group again. A while later, Ningyou interrupted them.

"Guys, look at this."

_**Another chapter completed and posted. I feel so tired. School has a weird schedule too because of the hurricane. Oh well. Next chapter soon to come!**_


	4. Origin

_**Some more of the replacements' abilities will be revealed here. They have their originals' abilities with some additions. Most will be shown in this chapter, and any that aren't shown here will definitely be shown off a couple chapters later.**_

Everyone hurried to where Ningyou stood. She was holding a stack of papers that actually looked new despite the age of the house.

"What are those?" Sakan asked, reaching for the paper on top. Before he could take it, Kuroi spoke from the hall.

"**There's someone coming. He has glasses and silver hair that's tied back in a ponytail. His forehead protector has a music note on it."**

Everyone looked at each other. "Grab a weapon or something. Be prepared to defend yourselves if this person is hostile," Itami instructed.

Sakan found a long bandaged sword in the corner that looked more like an ironing board.

"What's that gonna do?" Fumetsu scoffed.

"It's better than nothing," Sakan snapped.

The group proceeded outside once everyone was ready. Sure enough, there was a person standing outside that matched Kuroi's description perfectly.

The person smiled. "I should start by congratulating you all on your escape," he smirked.

"You know about us?" Shiro asked, rising up from the ground.

"Yes, I do. My name is Kabuto. You were all created by my master, Orochimaru-sama," he answered, still wearing that annoying smirk.

"What do you mean?" Karasu asked. Everyone except Kabuto flinched at her dangerous tone; Kabuto's grin grew bigger.

'I see you've found the files I planted in the house," Kabuto said, satisfaction hanging onto every word. "Very well, I'll tell you. Somewhere out there, there is a group of S-ranked criminal shinobis. They call themselves the Akatsuki. About a year ago, I obtained the DNA and chakra patterns of almost every Akatsuki member. Orochimaru used that information to create all of you." He pointed at Karasu,"I'll use you as an example. Find your photo in the file."

Ningyou shuffled the papers around until Karasu's file was on top. Everyone looked at the file over Ningyou's shoulder.

"Hey, why are there two pictures? I think one would be enough!" Fumetsu complained.

"That second photo isn't Karasu, idiot. Karasu doesn't have those tear troughs. Besides, that person is a guy," Sutetchi countered.

"**It says this person is called Itachi. Uchiha Itachi,"** Kuroi noted.

"Yes," Kabuto said, "Uchiha Itachi is your original and will be the person you kill."

Karasu frowned. "Why would I kill him? I don't even know him."

"You were created to destroy him. After all, the Akatsuki wronged Orochimaru-sama in the past. I guess you could say they will fall under their own hands," Kabuto explained.

"So we were created in order to be used by Orochimaru for revenge?" Nendo demanded.

Kabuto nodded. "Yes, you were. In fact, you all have a lifespan of five years. After your five years are up, you will just drop dead."

Fumetsu's last nerve snapped. "Shut up!" she roared, swinging her scythe at Kabuto.

She missed, and Kabuto took the chance to throw a couple of shurikens at her. Two more ninjas also dropped out of the sky, landing next to Kabuto. The shurikens were deflected by Tenchi, who had created shurikens from paper while Fumetsu took on one of the newly-arrived enemies. The second ninja went for Ningyou. Kabuto himself attacked Sakan.

Karasu turned to assist Ningyou, parrying the opponent's attacks with kunais, and finally managing to pin him down on the ground with a wind demon shuriken. Ningyou attached her chakra strings that extended from her fingertips to a fallen log nearby. She dropped the log on top of their assailant, crushing his skull and killing him.

Sutetchi went to help Fumetsu, but was declined when Fumetsu shouted that she could do this herself. She had turned black and white and was standing on this odd symbol on the ground. Taking her spear, she stabbed herself through the heart. As Sutetchi watched, the ninja keeled over, dead. Fumetsu, however, looked perfectly fine.

Kabuto was fighting Itami, Tenchi, Nendo, Kuroi, Shiro, and Sakan despite the fact that Sakan's sword was draining his chakra. He was still able to defend himself against all six of them at once. One reason he was capable of doing this was due to the inexperience of the six. Even though he was able to hold his ground against six of them, he knew that he wouldn't be able to take on all ten of them at once. He quickly took a smoke bomb from his pocket and escaped.

"And don't come back, you freaking loser!" Fumetsu screamed after him, her spear still sticking out from her chest.

_**Now only Itami, Nendo, and Karasu need a chance to show off their abilities. Don't worry; I have a chapter planned out for them. Wanna know what happens? Just wait and see! *wink***_


	5. Found

_**For those of you wondering, this isn't the chapter featuring Itami's, Nendo's, and Karasu's abilities. Sorry! It's getting close though!**_

"So they all escaped?"

Kabuto bowed his head. "Yes, Orochimaru-sama. I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop them."

Orochimaru shook his head. "It doesn't matter. They can't run forever. Soon, they will realize that joining me is the best choice. Then, they will return, and the Akatsuki will be done for! Keep an eye on them. I'm going to work on my Edo Tensei." With that, he disappeared into the shadows, and Kabuto left to watch the replacements.

"What?" Pain stood up, "Say that again!"

"There are a group of people looking almost exactly like us in the Forest of Death not too far from here," White Zetsu repeated.

"**With the exception of Tobi**," Black Zetsu added.

"But…Tobi is a good boy!" Tobi cried, "Why shouldn't Tobi have someone who looks like him?"

"Oh, shut up, will you?" Hidan growled.

"Silence!" Pain ordered. Turning back to Zetsu, he asked, "Are you sure?"

Zetsu nodded. "I watched them fight Kabuto. Their skills even match ours. This girl, I think her name was Fumetsu, was also immortal, just like Hidan. The boy called Nendo looked like a younger version of Deidara. Another one, Sakan, looked like a Kisame II."

"**Don't forget Sutetchi. He had stitches on his body. I think he looked a lot like Kakuzu. The black-haired girl, Karasu, looks like Itachi. She even inherited his skill with a kunai**," Black Zetsu expanded on his other half's explanation.

Tobi was still crying in the corner, "But I've been a good boy…why don't I get someone who looks like me?"

Pain ignored him. He turned to the other Akatsuki members who were standing on the sides. "I want three of you to go with Zetsu to take a look at these apparitions. Find out if they're a threat," he commanded.

Itachi, Sasori, and Deidara volunteered to go, and in the end, Pain allowed Tobi to go too due to Tobi's endless whining and the fact that he didn't seem to have someone who looked like him.

Zetsu's halves broke apart, the white half sinking through the floor to look for the target without being seen. The black half stayed with the rest of the group to notify them on White Zetsu's findings.

Meanwhile, Sutetchi was sewing up everybody's wounds with his threads. Karasu had gone back into the house, ignoring Itami when Itami asked what she was planning to do.

"Ow! God, Sutetchi! Can't you be a little gentler?" Fumetsu complained as Sutetchi stitched up her wound. Karasu returned with a bunch of cloth in her arms. She threw some at Fumetsu, hitting Fumetsu in the face.

"What the…? Hey, Karasu! What's this?" Fumetsu asked, examining the apparel.

"Clothes," Karasu replied, distributing the rest amongst her other companions. She had already changed into a black dress. Over the dress, she wore a black cloak with a hood. "Our rags smell terrible. I found these in the house before we fought Kabuto."

They all started changing behind trees, each one thinking about what the file said about their originals and their abilities.

"I'm going to look for herbs just in case our wounds are poisoned or they get infected," Ningyou stated after she had changed.

Karasu glanced at her, then returned to scrutinizing the papers, "Be careful."

Once Ningyou had left, Karasu beckoned to Shiro. "Could you keep an eye on Ningyou in case Kabuto comes back?"

Shiro immediately melted into the ground and disappeared.

Ningyou was observing the roots of the trees looking for herbs when she heard a voice.

"Hi!"

She jumped back and hit her head on a rock protruding out from a ledge behind her. Looking up, she saw a young man wearing an orange mask with short spiky hair. He wore a black cloak with red cloud patterns.

Ningyou immediately fell into a fighting stance. "Who are you?"

"Heh-heh. Tobi is a good boy!" her adversary replied.

"Your name is Tobi?"

"Yup!" he said in the same enthusiastic voice.

She looked him over. "What are you doing here?"

"My friends and I are looking for a group of people!" he explained happily. He suddenly paused, "Can I say something?"

Ningyou became wary again. "Go ahead."

"You look a lot like Sasori! Are you related?"

Ningyou froze. Sasori was her original. _How does he know Sasori? Is he a part of the Akatsuki too? Oh, no. The others will kill me if they find out this is happening!_ She decided to play dumb.

"Who's Sasori?"

"He's one of my friends who's looking for the group of people with me!" he answered, unaware of anything.

As she tried to think of an answer to that, a sudden blow struck the back of her neck. She fell to the ground and her consciousness faded.

"Oh, Itachi-san! You killed her!" Tobi wailed, "And she was going to be my friend!"

Itachi bent over Ningyou. "She's just knocked out, Tobi."

More footsteps behind him signaled the arrival of the others.

Ningyou's friends were waiting for her to return. Some of them were becoming a little uneasy. She had been gone for too long. Suddenly, Kuroi stood up, startling the others.

"What's the matter?" Tenchi asked.

"**The Akatsuki has found Ningyou!**" Kuroi said, fear flooding his voice.

Everyone looked at each other. After Kabuto left, they had agreed to make sure no one else besides Kabuto and Orochimaru knew about them. Now Ningyou was found.

Itami stood too. "We need to go get her back. However, not all of us can go. There will be too many people and if we fight, we will definitely draw unwanted attention. Karasu, Nendo, and I will go." She turned to Kuroi. "Is Shiro still watching her?"

"**Yes**."

"If we need back up, then send two more to help."

"**I understand**."

Itami, Karasu, and Nendo left to rescue their friend.


	6. The Rescue

_**And here it is! The chapter featuring the three!**_

"Karasu…" Karasu turned to face Itami.

"Do you have a plan for this?" Itami asked. "We definitely aren't strong enough to overpower the Akatsuki, so we need a strategy. You're the most intelligent out of us. I was hoping you had come up with a plan."

Karasu remained silent for a while before replying, "I need to know how many there are and who they are." Raising her voice slightly, she called, "Shiro!"

Shiro appeared from a nearby tree. "Give us the details of the Akatsuki members," Karasu ordered.

"There are five of them. Itachi…" Karasu blinked, "…Sasori, Zetsu, Deidara…" Nendo flinched slightly, "…and someone called Tobi."

"This Tobi…wasn't mentioned in any of our files…"Karasu said slowly, "…but we know Sasori's and Zetsu's skills."

"What about Itachi's and Deidara's?" Itami asked.

Karasu shook her head. "Nendo and I haven't had our abilities show up yet. We may just have to base some of this mission on luck." She beckoned the rest of her team to a clearing, "We'll deal with the other three like this…" They bent their heads to listen to Karasu's idea.

"She really looks like Sasori-san, doesn't she?" Tobi asked his fellow Akatsuki members, oblivious to the significance of their discovery.

Deidara's mouth was working up and down, but his shock prevented him from saying anything. Sasori stared, unable to look away. Itachi seemed to be paying the surroundings more attention than Ningyou.

"We should take her to Leader-sama," White Zetsu suggested.

"Tobi can carry her," Itachi said, turning to head back to the Akatsuki hideout.

However, as Tobi scooped up Ningyou in his arms, Itachi halted. Half-turning, he said, "We've got company."

All of them whipped around to stare at a part in the trees. An orange-haired girl stepped out from the shadows. She said nothing, but merely stared back at the Akatsukis.

A long silence stretched out, broken by Tobi. "Leader-sama? Is that you? Why did you take your piercings out? And when did you turn into a girl?"

Deidara slugged Tobi. "That's not Leader-sama, you idiot! She's the copy, hmm!"

At this, the girl's face contorted slightly. "You have sharp eyes…Deidara-san."

"How do you know my name, hmm?" Deidara eyed his leader's look-alike curiously.

She didn't answer, only raised her hand. All of the Akatsuki members, with the exception of Tobi, narrowed their eyes and got into a fighting stance. They were so focused on the one in front; they didn't notice the second one behind them.

_Now, Karasu._ Itami tried not look past her opponents to see if Karasu was ready. She didn't need to worry.

Earth Style: Crushing Earth Dragon!

A gargantuan dragon made completely of soil and rocks rose up behind the surprised Akatsuki. Letting out a roar, it dove at Tobi. Tobi screamed and dove aside. In the midst of the confusion, Itami snatched up Ningyou and fled, Karasu right behind her. Nendo paused to throw a couple explosives which were filled with Itami's Asura Path's power as well as Nendo's own chakra-made explosive force. The smoke made the Akatsuki even more confused.

Once the smoke cleared, the first thing the five of them noticed was that Ningyou was gone, and so was the orange-haired girl.

"How could you let your guard down, Tobi?" Deidara yelled.

"**Idiot**…" Black Zetsu commented.

Tobi was in tears, "Tobi is sorry! Tobi was frightened by that scary dragon!"

"We need to follow them," Itachi said.

The group followed their targets' path through the trees.

Back at the house, Ningyou was woken up by Karasu. As she was apologizing for causing so much trouble, Karasu stood. All eyes followed her movements apprehensively.

"We've got company," Karasu announced.

_**Excellent. The Akatsuki saw a couple of the copies themselves. How come I'm not getting any reviews? The next chapter will come out after I get another review, so whether or not this story continues is up to you guys!**_


	7. Awakening

_**Lol. I literally got two more reviews right after I posted the last chapter. I was half-joking, you guys. Don't take everything I say too seriously. **_

The others rose too and formed a circle, their backs to the center. However, the defensive measure wasn't needed. The Akatsuki members stepped out from shadows of the forest into plain view.

"Found you!" Deidara grinned.

Tobi jumped up and down behind Sasori. "Ningyou-chan! Are you all right? I'm sorry my companions were so mean, but Tobi is a good boy!"

Itachi and Karasu were basically having a stare down.

"I told you it was true," White Zetsu said.

"Done treating us like an exhibit yet?" Sakan growled.

"Not yet," Sasori stepped forward. "Our leader sent us here to ask you something."

Itami hesitated. Glancing at her companions for support, she nodded. "Go ahead."

"Leader-sama wants to know if you're going to be a threat to us in the future, hmm," Deidara cut in.

None of the copies wanted to explain the reason of their existence to the Akatsuki. Itami looked at her group again, her eyes asking them a question. _Should I…?_

Her friends knew what she meant. One by one, they shrugged, and Itami asked Karasu for the files.

Karasu tore her gaze from her original for the first time. "I have them here." She drew the papers from a pocket inside her cloak and handed them over to Itami.

Itami walked forward a couple of paces and held out the file for Sasori to take. Before Sasori could touch it, Tobi snatched it out of Itami's grip.

"What are these?" Tobi exclaimed happily. He started flipping through them. "Oh, that's you, Itami-chan! Let's see…it says that your original is Pain, and you possess all of his abilities with some additions! Does that mean you're stronger than Leader-sama?"

Before Itami could say anything, Karasu warned them, "There are enemies here."

"Isn't that what you said before?" Sutetchi's forehead crinkled.

"I didn't mean the Akatsuki. You misunderstood," Karasu stated. She moved into the center of the clearing. Forming a couple signs, she slapped her palms on the ground. Earth Style: Dual Stone Dragons!

Two stone dragons erupted from the ground. One encircled the replacements, and the other wrapped itself around the Akatsuki, protecting both groups from a volley of kunais and shurikens. The dragons crumbled to reveal a mass of sound ninjas coming at them with murderous intent and an exhilarated Tobi.

"Wow, Karasu-chan! That was awesome!" he squealed.

"Talk later!" Karasu yelled. Two sound ninjas lunged for her. She dodged one attack, but ended up getting slashed on the arm by the other.

"Her Sharingan hasn't activated yet," Itachi murmured. He positioned himself so that he was close enough to help her if she needed it.

"Stay in groups!" Itami's yell was barely heard over the sounds of battle. _This isn't going well. We didn't have as many enemies in our first battle._ She ducked to avoid an attempt to slice her head off. A sound ninja faced her, "You're not going to survive to see tomorrow. Kabuto-sama ordered us to kill you all."

She almost snorted. "Shouldn't you be obeying Orochimaru rather than Kabuto?" she hissed, before shoving him away with Deva Path. Jumping back to avoid the next wave of enemies, she almost crashed into Tenchi, who was fighting beside Sutetchi.

Now that she was a part of a group, she found it easier to look around. She picked out Karasu, who was fighting a couple yards away. Karasu's arm was bleeding heavily, but Itachi, Ningyou, and Kuroi were near her. They could help her if she was in trouble, although the idea of Itachi helping his replacement seemed absurd to Itami.

Sakan, Shiro, and Sasori were standing back to back. Shiro had somehow multiplied himself, which was actually doing his group a big favor. Sasori's fingers were moving so fast, they were a blur. His puppet was taking out enemies left and right. Sakan was relying on his blade to absorb all of the chakra from his enemies before they could hurt him. He was doing fine so far, but his luck could run out anytime.

Nendo, Deidara, Zetsu, and Tobi were attacking from the air. Nendo and Deidara threw bombs into the mass of sound ninjas. Black Zetsu was using deadly vines to crush and lash at the enemies that surrounded them. Tobi was performing some kind of jutsu that made him look as though he was dancing.

Of course, Fumetsu was fighting alone, obviously taking advantage of her immortality. However, Itami didn't want to risk anything.

"Get to Fumetsu!" she shouted to Tenchi and Sutetchi. They glanced around, nodded, and started making their way to where Fumetsu mercilessly slaughtered her foes, looking like a porcupine due to the kunais and shurikens sticking out from her body.

Ningyou was getting really tired from trying to fend off all of her adversaries while keeping an eye on her friends at the same time. Beside her, Kuroi was panting from the effort. Karasu's teeth were gritted from pain and exhaustion. Itachi didn't look tired at all. Ningyou's leg ached from where a sound ninja kicked her a few seconds ago. She wanted the fighting to stop.

Turning around, she noticed a sound ninja take something from his pocket while sneaking up behind Karasu. Ningyou shouted out of instinct.

"Karasu, look out!" Luckily, Karasu heard her and whipped around just as the sound ninja threw the object. _A flash bomb! Damn!_ Karasu would have been better off if she didn't turn around.

A bright light emanated from the bomb. Karasu, who failed to shield her eyes in time, was temporarily blinded. She dropped to her knees, covering her eyes with her hands. Her position left her vulnerable, and the sound ninjas wasted no time attacking her.

Suddenly, Itachi appeared and threw kunais at the attackers, hitting them square on. After the sound ninjas lurched away, Itachi crouched beside Karasu, who was still covering her eyes. Ningyou rushed over, followed by Kuroi.

"**Is she okay**?" Kuroi asked.

Ningyou grabbed Karasu's hand and moved it away from Karasu's eyes. Karasu's pupils had become tiny, making her unable to see. Karasu blinked a couple times, but there was no change in her eyesight. Ningyou was merely a blur, even though she was standing right in front of Karasu.

"Her eyesight will be ineffective for a while," Itachi explained. "Sound ninja actually specialize in their flash bombs."

"Should we take her out of the battle?" Ningyou asked. Itachi nodded and seized Karasu by her arm, avoiding the still-bleeding wound. The group led her to the cover of the trees and stayed in the vicinity to keep an eye on her.

Deidara sent Shiro underground to plant land mines. After Shiro was finished, Deidara created three more birds out of clay, one for each group. After everyone was settled on a bird, the birds flapped their wings, rising high into the sky.

"Watch this, hmm," Deidara told Nendo. "This is true art!" _Katsu!_

The explosion was large enough to be heard miles away.

Once the smoke had cleared, the birds landed. Everyone got off to assess the damage. The house was reduced to rubble, and there was a large crater in the earth.

"Thank God that's over," Ningyou sighed.

Karasu faced Ningyou. "Ningyou…"

"What?"

Karasu lunged forward with a kunai in her hand. For a wild moment, Ningyou thought Karasu had gone insane and was going to kill her. However, Karasu shot past her and drove the point of the kunai deep into the throat of a sound ninja who had been sneaking up behind Ningyou.

Everyone was surprised, but no one was as surprised as the sound ninja.

"How did…you know?" the sound ninja asked. "The flash…bomb…should have…been…able to…obscure your vision…"

"It did…for my normal eyes," Karasu answered.

Her eyes had turned red and had black patterns on them. Her Sharingan had been awakened.

_**There are a couple things I would like to mention. First, I'm going to start updating weekly instead of whenever I have time. Second, I am thinking about creating a sequel to this. I would like to hear your opinion, so please tell me what you think when you review. Thanks!**_


	8. A Choice

_**Just out of curiosity, I would like to know who your favorite character is right now. Please tell me in your review!**_

The sound ninja fell to the ground, blood still gushing from his neck. Karasu was out of breath from the amount of chakra she had used. The Sharingan gradually faded from her eyes.

"She really looks like you when she is using the Sharingan," Sasori murmured to Itachi.

"Umm…Itachi-san?" Ningyou asked, somewhat timidly. Itachi blinked as though surprised and turned his attention to the red-haired girl. "Will Karasu be all right?"

Itachi shot a cursory glance over at his copy. Karasu had recovered from exhaustion pretty quickly, and her eyesight had returned to normal already. _Impressive. Would it be possible to…?_ Leaving the question to himself unfinished, he said, "She'll be fine. The Sharingan always takes a lot of energy to use. With practice, she'll be able to keep it activated longer."

"**Itachi-san. Yours was awakened when you were eight years old, right?**" Black Zetsu asked.

"I mastered it at eight years old," Itachi corrected.

Sasori, who had been reading the files, looked up. "These should interest you guys. Take a look." He tossed the papers to Deidara. Luckily, the papers were clipped together so Deidara was spared the trouble of having to pick up scattered papers.

The replacements watched apprehensively (with the exception of Sutetchi since he was busy stitching up wounds) as Deidara, followed by Itachi and Zetsu, read the file. The Akatsuki then drew together to talk, making the atmosphere even more tense.

"What do you think they'll do?" Sakan whispered.

"Maybe we shouldn't have given them the file," Nendo sounded worried.

Fumetsu scowled. "Why are you all so scared? If they try to kill us, we'll fight! We're supposed to be stronger than them, right? We can kill them easily!" Luckily for Fumetsu, the Akatsuki did not hear her exclamation.

Before she could be reprimanded for her lack of respect, Sasori walked up to them.

"There is something we would like to discuss with you," he said, glancing at them all.

"Are you gonna kill us?" Nendo blurted out. His fellow copies shot him an exasperated glare.

To their surprise, however, Sasori half-smiled. "No. Not even close."

"You're going to let us go?" Tenchi asked.

"Not that either, hmm," Deidara joined his partner in keeping the replacements in the fog.

"Well? What are you gonna do?" Sakan demanded.

Itachi held up a hand, and all eyes turned to him. "Before we ask you that, we need to know if you actually are planning to destroy the Akatsuki."

"Oh, right. That was also a part of the files," Sutetchi remembered.

"We already told Orochimaru that we weren't going to kill you. First, we don't know you all that well, and you haven't wronged us in any way. Second, most of us actually prefer not to kill…" Everyone except Itami, who was speaking, looked at Fumetsu, "…and third, if we did kill you, that would basically mean we were being used, and none of us like that."

"In that case, I think that you can hear the second question," Itachi continued.

Before he could ask the copies the question, Tobi interrupted him. "We want to know if you are willing to come with us!" he said in the same hyper voice that he used before the fight.

"Tobi! This is a serious matter! Don't treat it like it's not important, hmm!" Deidara was reaching the end of his patience with Tobi.

"But you guys were taking too long to ask! Tobi just wanted to do his friends a favor!" Tobi whined.

"And how is asking the question like that doing us a favor?" Deidara snapped.

Sasori cut in. "Enough. The clones know what we want now. Let them make their decision."

"**And hurry. We can't wait around all day,**" Black Zetsu added.

The replacements drew together. "What do you guys think?" Itami looked at her friends.

Karasu didn't care whether or not they went with the Akatsuki. She thought that if they went with the originals, they could learn some good techniques. Even so, they only had a maximum of five years to live.

Tenchi wanted to go with the Akatsuki. He wanted to meet his original before he died, and he wanted to learn some more jutsu to help him manipulate his paper. Sakan agreed with Tenchi.

Although Nendo, Ningyou, Kuroi, and Shiro already met their originals, they still wanted to go with the Akatsuki. Their reason was to get to know their originals a bit more. They thought this would help them learn more about themselves. Also, going with the Akatsuki might let them discover how the Akatsuki humiliated Orochimaru.

Fumetsu objected. She didn't want to go with the Akatsuki. Her belief was that she and her companions would be bossed around all day. Out of all of them, Fumetsu hated being a clone the most. To her, they weren't meant to exist because they were only copied from the original Akatsuki. Going with the Akatsuki would be like rubbing salt into a wound.

Sutetchi agreed with Fumetsu. Like her, he thought that they would be able to take care of themselves.

"Well, I also want to go, so I can learn more jutsu and get to know my original, Pain," Itami said, "There are two who don't want to go, one undecided, and seven who want to go. The majority wins. Therefore, we are going."

Sutetchi shrugged, and Fumetsu went, "Tch!", but both succumbed to the decision made.

"Hey, you're all going to be my friends, right?" Tobi asked the clones on the way to Amegakure.

The clones looked at each other before replying sure. Of course, Tobi didn't hear the hesitation in their voices.

"We're here," White Zetsu said.

They had stopped in front of a tall tower. However, its height wasn't so great that they couldn't see the figure standing on a balcony at the very top. He wore an Akatsuki cloak and had spiky, orange hair. Itami could tell that her original was the one standing up there.

Suddenly, the figure jumped down. Landing in front of them, he raised his head and said, "You took your time."

_**I've decided to screw the updating-once-a-week thing I mentioned last chapter. I can never follow deadlines; they're too demanding and restrictive for me. Actually, the only time I can get myself to follow them is for school…**_


	9. First Day

_**While planning this story, I thought of at least three more story ideas. Now I can't wait to finish this one so I can start the next one. *talks to myself* (be patient! be patient!)**_

Out of all the Akatsuki members the copies have met so far, Pain was the most intimidating. Rings circled his pupils, and his eyes were a grayish-purple color. He also had piercings all over his face! Itami seriously hoped that she wouldn't have to get the same piercings.

Pain turned to face the doors. "Everyone's waiting," was all he said before walking forward. The Akatsuki members followed him, with the exception of Sasori, who paused next to Ningyou.

"Don't worry. Leader-sama is all right," he reassured the nervous replacements. Feeling slightly more comforted, the replacements walked in with Sasori behind them.

"They decided to go with the Akatsuki?" Orochimaru was shocked.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to stop them, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto apologized.

Orochimaru sat back in his chair, thinking. _The Akatsuki has gone too far. First, they humiliate me. Now, they brainwash my soldiers? I cannot allow this to go on. I think there is one of them…yes. That one might be easier to sway._

Standing, he addressed Kabuto. "Continue as planned, but once you have the chance, you should speak to that copy."

Kabuto understood Orochimaru's meaning. "You want to persuade that copy to betray the Akatsuki and the other copies and join us?"

Orochimaru nodded, and Kabuto left to resume his job of spying.

"I see…" Pain murmured after the clones had taken turns explaining the situation. "Orochimaru created you in order to try to kill us…"

Itami fidgeted slightly. Pain didn't seem to notice. He stood up and addressed the other Akatsuki members, "You are going to mentor your clone. Teach them as much as you can in a short amount of time. Orochimaru might try another method to get revenge."

One by one, the Akatsuki members led their clones out of the leader's room. Only Itami stayed, as Pain was her original. Without facing her, he said, "I'll let you have the rest of this day to get used to this place. Tomorrow, I will start teaching you new skills."

Itami murmured her assent, but then, remembered something she wanted to ask. "Leader-sama…?"

"Call me Pain," he said, "You and I are practically the same person. I give you permission to call me by my name."

Itami tried again, "Pain-san…what exactly happened between the Akatsuki and Orochimaru?"

Pain remained silent for so long that Itami wondered if he was even going to answer. When he did, it wasn't the reply Itami was hoping to get.

"It's a long story. I'll tell you some other time."

Itami shrugged and left the room.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at?" Fumetsu shouted at Hidan.

"Shut up! I grabbed your arm to tell you that you can't go that way!" Hidan hollered back.

"I don't need help!"

"You're new! Of course you need help!"

"Can we go on without them?" Sutetchi asked Kakuzu. Kakuzu nodded, "Good idea."

"These are really cool," Ningyou touched a puppet with awe.

"I prefer bombs," Nendo contradicted.

"But they don't last long. Puppets last forever," Ningyou objected.

"Real art lasts only a short amount of time, and they should go out with a bang, hmm."

"No, real art lasts forever."

"They sound a lot like us, hmm," Deidara whispered to Sasori.

"So Samehada is a sword that cuts foes to ribbons instead of slicing them, and while it does that, it also absorbs the opponent's chakra?" Sakan clarified.

"You catch on pretty quickly," Kisame complimented his clone.

Itachi and Karasu remained silent, following Kisame and Sakan as they walked through the corridors.

"Zetsu-san, how fast can you travel?" Shiro asked.

"**Pretty fast, once we are motivated,**" Black Zetsu answered.

"**Can other ninjas sense you?**" Kuroi asked.

"If they are a really good sensory ninja, or if they have special eye techniques," White Zetsu explained.

"Like the Sharingan?" Shiro guessed. Zetsu nodded.

"That corridor is forbidden to all except Leader-sama," Konan told Itami and Tenchi.

"Why?" they asked together.

"That is the place where Pain stores his other five bodies."

"What?" Itami hoped she heard incorrectly.

"You heard me," Konan turned to leave.

Itami kept up with her. "Pain-san has five other bodies? What do you mean?"

"You'll see once you begin your training. Besides, it's better if Pain explains it to you. He's the one who has the five extra bodies."

"Konan-san," Tenchi caught up with them, "will you teach me how to manipulate paper?"

Konan looked at her clone. "Of course, but we will first start with something more basic."

That night, the copies gathered in Itami's room to discuss the day.

"That Hidan is such a pain!" Fumetsu fumed.

"Now you know how we feel," Sakan smirked.

"What did you say?"

"I thought Sasori-san wasn't bad. He was pretty nice," Ningyou mused.

"But he doesn't know what true art is," Nendo objected, "Deidara-san is the best!"

"Are you seriously going to start that again?" Sutetchi interrupted, "When I walked past your group, I could hear you bickering."

"Zetsu-san was pretty cool as well," Shiro said.

"**Yeah. He's gonna teach us how to move around undetected,**" Kuroi sounded excited.

"At least Itachi-san isn't as loud as you guys," Karasu muttered.

"I can't wait to learn how to manipulate paper!" Tenchi told Itami.

"I don't even know what Pain-san is going to teach me…" Itami envied her friends.

"Didn't you talk to him?" Tenchi asked.

"He didn't even show me around, remember?"

Karasu glanced at Itami. "Maybe it'll be better tomorrow." Itami thought she heard a bit of sympathy in Karasu's normally expressionless voice.

Itami shrugged. "Whatever. I'm going to bed now, guys. See you all tomorrow."

One by one, all the replacements left Itami's room. After they were all gone, Itami laid back on her bed, thinking about whether joining Akatsuki was really the best choice. _Pain-san is such a mystery. I wish I could read him. There's definitely something he's not telling me…_


	10. Training Begins

The next day, the training began.

"Watch where you're swinging that damned scythe!" Hidan bellowed at his clone.

"You're the one who told me to show you what I can do!" Fumetsu hollered just as loudly.

"Shut up! There are others practicing here too!" Sutetchi was losing his patience with the immortal duo. Kakuzu shot a nasty glare at Hidan.

Nendo was trying to squish a blob of clay into a bird. Deidara watched him critically. "No, no. You made the beak too long, and one of the wings is lopsided, hmm."

"At least it was better than before." Nendo tried to stay positive. The bird expanded and started flapping its wings. It rose a couple inches off the ground, but then fell back down, almost squashing Deidara.

Sasori was teaching Ningyou how to carve out a puppet's limbs. "Ouch!" Ningyou exclaimed as she accidentally cut her finger. As she sucked on it, she asked Sasori, "Is there an easier way to carve the wood?"

"I'm afraid not."

Kuroi and Shiro were popping in and out of the walls of the training room. Once, Shiro almost got hit by one of Sakan's successful water style jutsu.

"Be careful! You almost hit me!" Shiro glared at the Kisame look-alike.

Sakan responded by aiming another water style jutsu at Shiro, who screamed and sank back into the wall.

Karasu was being taught how to control her chakra. Itachi had showed her how to use the Fireball Technique and told her to do it using as little chakra as possible. Karasu had progressed more than the other clones since she inherited Itachi's intelligence, and she wasn't talking half the time.

"This is cool!" Tenchi watched the paper butterfly fluttering around.

Konan smiled. "Once you have more control, I'll teach you how to create paper clones."

"That would be great! Thanks, Konan-san!"

"In order to perform a Summoning Jutsu, you must first sign an agreement with the beast that you want to summon."

Itami frowned. "So I can't just summon any creature I want? There are specific creatures that I am allowed to summon?"

"That is correct," Pain nodded.

"Ok…how do I sign the contract?"

Another orange-haired man appeared from the shadows. Before Itami could react, the newcomer formed a couple hand signs and placed his palm on the ground. A cloud of smoke appeared and a large dog stood where the second orange-haired man touched the ground.

Itami was stunned. "That was amazing…but why couldn't you just do it, Pain-san?" she addressed the first one.

"I am also Pain," the second man answered. "There are six of us total. Each one has a different ability."

Itami understood. "So that's what Konan-san meant."

"I'm so tired, and my fingers seriously hurt!" Ningyou collapsed onto her bed, massaging her aching fingers. Nendo stood in the doorway, picking out clay from under his nails. It was break time and the clones were off doing whatever they wanted.

"What do you think the Akatsuki will have us do after we finish our training, Nendo?" Ningyou asked absentmindedly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we are supposed to be more powerful than our originals, right?"

"And your point being…?"

"What will happen to us five years later?" Ningyou didn't want to bring it up, but the question slipped out.

"Kabuto said we'd die, hmm."

"But I don't want to die."

"No one wants to die. Death isn't one of the choices we get to make." Nendo turned to leave, then paused, "Ningyou, you're not going through this alone. Me, Karasu, Itami, Tenchi, and all the others are going through the same thing. Don't worry too much, hmm."

As the door shut behind him, Ningyou let out a sigh, which turned into a shriek as someone spoke from the corner.

"Worried, hunh?"

"Karasu!" Ningyou yelled. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Sorry."

"But yes, I am worried," Ningyou confirmed.

"What exactly are you worried about?"

Ningyou thought before answering, "Well, I want to know why we have to die after five years. Why can't we just live lives like normal people who aren't clones? I don't even want to die! It's not fair!" Her frustration spilled over, and before she knew it, she was practically screaming at Karasu.

Karasu blinked, and Ningyou realized her mistake. "Sorry," she mumbled, "It's not your fault. I'm just so scared and disappointed."

Silence. Ningyou looked at Karasu, wondering if Karasu was even listening. Karasu was staring at the wall; Ningyou shrugged and returned her gaze to the ceiling, but focused on Karasu again as Karasu started to speak.

"As for why we have to die after five years, I don't have an answer. Perhaps it's because Orochimaru only wanted us to get his revenge, so he gave us a short lifespan to make sure we died after he succeeded. However, having a short life doesn't mean we can't enjoy it. Instead of thinking about death, pay attention to the present. You'll have more memories that are worth keeping."

That was the longest speech Karasu had ever uttered. Privately, Ningyou agreed with the black-haired kunoichi.

Karasu wasn't done talking. "And also…"

"What?"

Karasu leaned in and whispered something into Ningyou's ear. Ningyou immediately turned a fiery red.

"What! That's not true!"

"Then why are you blushing?" Karasu smirked. Seeing Karasu smile for the first time shocked Ningyou, and she couldn't think of a reply.

"I knew it." Ningyou's lack of a reply confirmed Karasu's suspicions.

Ningyou threw her pillow at her friend. "Don't you dare tell anyone!"

"Sure." Karasu turned to leave. Ningyou could only hope Karasu would keep her word.

_If you tell anyone, I swear I will turn you into a puppet, Karasu, _Ningyou promised.

_**Before you even ask, Ningyou's secret will be revealed sometime later in the story. Moving on, I finally found the perfect place to have Karasu smile. Karasu is a very complicated person, and I really enjoy writing about her. Next chapter will come soon!**_


	11. The Beginning of the End

Five days after she talked with Ningyou, Karasu was sitting in her room when someone knocked on her door. Getting up, she opened the door to see her mentor with a serious look on his face.

"Can I talk to you?" Itachi asked.

Karasu stood back to allow him to come in, careful not to show how nervous she was. Itachi sat at her desk, motioning for her to sit on the bed. Once she sat, Itachi started talking.

"You have improved greatly with the Sharingan since the first time you used it," he said, "I feel that I should tell you more about it now."

"Does the Sharingan have side effects?" Karasu asked.

Itachi shook his head. "Not the one you use."

"There are different kinds of Sharingan?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "First, we'll start with your normal Sharingan. I'm sure you noticed what the Sharingan does."

Karasu knew the Sharingan allowed the user to see all of her opponent's moves and assessed the opponent's chakra. She nodded.

"There is a second level called the Mangekyou Sharingan. I'm certain you haven't heard of this eye technique before."

_Mangekyou Sharingan…sounds interesting._ Karasu shook her head.

"Well, the Mangekyou Sharingan is much more powerful than the regular Sharingan. It gives the user access to three more techniques. It is also unique to each Uchiha. However, your eyesight will slowly deteriorate with every use until you eventually go blind."

"How do I awaken it?" Karasu's interest in the Mangekyou Sharingan intensified with every word Itachi said. However, Itachi's next words were unexpected.

"You kill your best friend."

Karasu's eyes widened. "Kill…my best friend?" she repeated.

"Not only must you kill him or her, you must also feel the pain of the murder. Would you do it to gain power?" Itachi's voice held no emotions, but there was something in his eyes that told Karasu there was a reason he was asking this. Her response was very careful.

…

Later that day…

"How is your training going?" Sakan lazily watched one of Tenchi's origami butterflies flutter around the room.

"I can summon beasts and absorb some weaker ninjutsu now," Itami reported. "What about you?"

"Kisame-san says that I'm getting better at wielding Samehada, and my water jutsu is pretty strong."

"I'm getting better at controlling large amounts of paper." Tenchi was making another origami butterfly.

"**Shiro and I can pretty much go undetected now,**" Kuroi said, "**Remember when we scared Sakan, Itami, and Tenchi half to death?**"

"That was awesome!" Shiro chortled.

Fumetsu smirked. "I wish I saw that. I would definitely pick seeing the sharkman get scared over listening to Hidan blabber."

"What has he taught you so far?" Sutetchi looked up from stitching his clothes.

"Nothing! That stupid man keeps talking about this thing called Jashin! Like I care what that is."

Sutetchi rolled his eyes and went back to his stitching. Ningyou and Nendo were comparing jutsus in the corner.

"My clay bomb can actually fly now, hmm," Nendo boasted, "It can also explode!"

"But it can't poison anyone," Ningyou countered. "I just managed to make my first puppet. It's weak, but it's better than your clay bombs."

Fumetsu glanced at them and snorted. "You two are both weak! I bet that one of you guys will be the first to die!"

Tenchi glared at Fumetsu, but before he could say anything, Sakan said, "Ha! With that arrogant nature of yours, you're gonna die first!"

"Kuroi and Shiro are gonna die first," Sutetchi voiced his opinion, "They're the weakest."

"**What did you say, zombie?**"

"Itami should die first," Shiro said, "The leader always dies first, and they entrust everything else to their friends."

"When did I say I was leader?" Itami said indignantly.

"Well, you're Leader-sama's clone," Ningyou reasoned.

Just then, Nendo caught sight of Karasu walking past the room. "Hey, Karasu!" He ran out, grabbed Karasu by the arm, and dragged her into the conversation. "You think you're gonna be the first to die out of all of us?"

"Nope," Karasu said, looking as though this was the last conversation she wanted to be in.

"Well, who you think will die first?" Ningyou asked.

Karasu took her time looking at the others. Finally, she shrugged and said, "Fumetsu."

"What?" Fumetsu yelped. "I am not gonna die! I'm immortal!"

"And your immortality will only make you reckless," Karasu pointed out, "Even if you don't die, you'll still be incapacitated."

Fumetsu looked ready to explode. "Then let's all make a bet!" she snapped, "Whoever dies first will be known as the weakest!"

Sakan grinned. "I'm in," he said.

Ningyou and Nendo both joined in, and Sutetchi agreed after pondering for a bit.

"Do we count as two people, or one?" Shiro asked.

Ningyou tilted her head, thinking. "Two," she decided.

Fumetsu turned her head to Itami and Tenchi. "What about you two?"

"Fine," Tenchi muttered. Itami rolled her eyes and gave in.

All eyes turned to Karasu. She shrugged again and said, "Whatever. I'm in."

…

"The time will be soon, Kabuto," Orochimaru's eyes shone with a hunger for revenge.

"The four are ready, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto replied.

"Good. What about that clone?"

"I have posted a watch. Do not worry, Orochimaru-sama."

"Excellent!" Orochimaru smiled. "The time will soon come! The Akatsuki shall be destroyed along with any clones who dare to oppose me! I shall claim my revenge!"

_**This fanfiction is divided into two parts, and part one has just finished. Part two will most likely be longer and better (I hope). Still, thanks for reading and reviews are greatly appreciated!**_


	12. After Three and a Half Years

_**And here's part two! Enjoy!**_

Water Style: Destructive Water Spout!

Karasu's water jutsu caught Sakan by surprise, and he was thrown to the floor. With a grunt, he pushed himself back up and swung Samehada. Karasu ducked and knocked Sakan's feet out from under him with a swing of her foot. Sakan landed on the ground again, but this time, he took advantage of his position. Seizing Karasu around the ankles, he threw her towards a wall. However, Karasu spun in midair and landed with her feet on the wall. Nearby, Itachi and Kisame watched the training session.

It had been three and a half years since the clones had made the bet. The clones were now even more powerful than their originals as long as they were motivated.

Karasu's hair had been cut. Not too long ago, she, Ningyou, and Sutetchi had gotten into a scuffle with a patrol of Sand Ninja. In the midst of the fight, Karasu had gotten some of her hair sliced off. Later, she cut the rest so it would even out.

Ningyou had built stronger puppets, even inventing a new poison that stumped Sasori. She and Nendo still argued about what true art is, and she had become best friends with Karasu.

Nendo had taken to flying around on his clay birds, and Deidara would occasionally challenge him to a battle. The battles mostly ended in ties, but Nendo still won more often than he lost.

Itami, with the power of the Deva Path, had to train in a different place than the rest of the replacements. Her Banshou Ten'in was stronger than Pain's, and her Shinra Tensei could destroy an entire mountain.

Tenchi's control over paper had grown. His paper clones were tough, and he could use paper to spy on others. This ability was discovered when Shiro found a piece of paper stuck to his hair, and Tenchi knew everything that Shiro had done since the paper got stuck.

Fumetsu still got into daily arguments with everybody else, especially Hidan. Sometimes, she and Hidan would fight, and Kakuzu and Sutetchi had to stitch up the wounds, muttering curses under their breath.

Sutetchi had learned ninjutsu as well as controlling his threads. His main element was the earth style since Kakuzu himself was good at using earth style techniques.

Kuroi and Shiro spent most of their time outside spying on the Five Great Nations. Since Zetsu was the Akatsuki spy, his clones had also taken on the role.

"She's really close," Itachi murmured to himself as he watched his apprentice practice. Kisame turned to his partner.

"What's the matter?"

"You remember what I told you about the Mangekyou Sharingan?" Itachi asked.

"Yeah. You said that it is much more powerful than the normal Sharingan, you need to kill your best friend to awaken it, and the usage of it will eventually lead to blindness," Kisame recited.

Itachi nodded absentmindedly. "Karasu is different."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind." Itachi looked away.

"Woah!" Sakan's cry diverted Kisame's attention. A flock of crows were flapping their wings in Sakan's face. Karasu was nowhere to be seen.

"You taught Karasu genjutsu?"

"Yeah," Itachi said, "But that's not genjutsu. It's just a crow doppelganger."

As if Karasu's skill wasn't enough, Sakan's frustration grew as the crows refused to disperse. However, before he could do anything to send the crows away, he heard Karasu say, "You lose."

She had snuck up behind him and was pointing a kunai at his back. If he moved, she could easily stab him. He sighed, "Looks like I still can't beat you."

"Maybe next time," she answered, grinning slightly. Over the three and a half years, she had become more open to her friends. She smiled more often and made some jokes now and then, although most of her jokes were directed at Fumetsu.

"Are you done?" Tenchi peeked into the room. "Leader-sama has called a meeting."

The foursome followed Tenchi to Pain's room where all the other Akatsuki members were waiting. Once they were all settled Pain started to speak.

"I feel that we have gotten off track with all the things that have happened the past four years. We must go back to pursuing our goal. The Akatsuki pairs must head out again by tomorrow, and return to the tasks they were working on. I will pair the clones up. The pairs of clones will be as follows: Karasu and Ningyou, Sakan and Tenchi, Nendo and Itami, and Fumetsu and Sutetchi. Kuroi and Shiro will remain here."

A variety of reactions followed the speech.

Karasu and Ningyou smiled at each other since they were best friends and worked well together. Sakan merely gave Tenchi a nod while Tenchi barely responded. Nendo eyed Itami thoughtfully. He knew her strength and didn't think that she even needed a partner. Kuroi and Shiro shrugged. Fumetsu and Sutetchi looked as though Pain had just told them to eat a dead rat.

"Why can't I have a different partner?" They shouted at the same time.

"Because as Kakuzu's clone, Sutetchi has a very bad temper. When he loses it, he tends to kill anything he sees. Since Fumetsu is immortal, I won't have to keep assigning Sutetchi new partners every five days. Now get ready!" Pain dismissed the meeting.

…

"Our job is to make money for the Akatsuki…" Ningyou tried not to sound disappointed.

"You expected something more exciting, didn't you?" Karasu understood her friend's feelings. She, too, had wanted to have a different task. Something that was like her mentor's job, which was to capture the Jinchuriki for the Kyuubi.

"You can still make your job exciting," Sasori came in, holding a bunch of weapons and scrolls. He separated them into two piles, most of the scrolls were given to Ningyou and the rest was Karasu's for the taking.

"Itachi says that you shouldn't overexert yourself, and if you find anything that will be useful to the rest of us, tell Leader-sama immediately," he turned to Ningyou, "The same message goes to my apprentice as well."

"Thanks, Sensei," Ningyou said, "But how can we make this job more exciting?"

"In Konoha, the Land of Fire, there is a group of people known as the Twelve Guardian Ninja. Their heads are worth a large amount of money. There are also collection offices hidden all over the place. Once you have killed one of them, you should go to a collection office and claim the money," Sasori explained.

Ningyou brightened. "So we may get to fight after all!"

"Don't get too excited. The Guardians are tough," Sasori scolded Ningyou, "I think you two should go with weaker bounties first and let Kakuzu and Hidan handle the strong ones."

Ningyou looked like she wanted to argue but thought better of it and nodded reluctantly. Karasu watched the argument with an amused look on her face.

…

Once outside, Karasu activated her Sharingan, and she and NIngyou leaped into the trees.

_**The clones have set out. Wait 'til you see the reactions of the Five Great Nations when they see the clones.**_


	13. Infiltration of Kumo

_**I think I'll have each pair of clones get three chapters dedicated to them, maybe more. I'll just see how it turns out.**_

"We can't stop now, Nendo! The Two-Tails still needs to be found!" Itami ordered.

"But that's in Kumogakure, isn't it?" Nendo argued. "We're still a couple days away. Some rest won't hurt."

"And the sooner we capture it, the better!" Itami countered. "Let's go. We can rest once we find a place to eat."

"All right then." Nendo got up grudgingly.

…

"Look! There's Kumo!" Nendo whispered to Itami. The two of them were crouching behind a large boulder on the boundary of Kumogakure's territory. A gate, guarded by two Kumo shinobi, stood in front of them.

"How are we gonna get in?" Nendo asked, "I don't think they'll just allow unknown strangers to stroll into their village."

"Well, we'll just have to get rid of them," Itami replied, "Your bombs draw too much attention though, so I'll have to do the actual killing." Looking around, she spotted a small bit of woods nearby. Pointing towards it, she said, "You lead the two of them in there. I'll wait for you and kill them quickly and quietly when I get the chance."

Nendo nodded and watched as Itami crept away into the trees. Once she had disappeared, he leapt out from behind his hiding place, immediately attracting the attention of the two ninja guards.

"Who are you?" the taller one shouted.

_Damn! They'll attract unwanted attention with their shouting. _Nendo threw a couple kunais at them and fled into the woods. Looking back, he saw that the two Kumogakure shinobi were following him. _Perfect!_

Nendo had almost reached the trees when a bolt of lightning shot past him, missing him by an inch. _They use Raiton? Not good._ He sped up, dashing into the cover of the trees.

"Be careful, Oniko!" He heard one of his pursuers caution the other.

"I'll be okay!" Oniko called back.

_I wouldn't be too sure of that, hmm._ Nendo watched Itami, who was slowly advancing on the ninja called Oniko.

Once she was close enough, Itami leaped forward and seized Oniko's head. The victim's face immediately adopted a dazed look, and he fell to his knees. Itami closed her eyes, keeping her hand firmly his head.

After a while, she opened her eyes, muttered, "Ni'I Yugito.", and released Oniko. To Nendo's surprise, a silvery silhouette came away with her hand. Oniko fell to the ground, and the silhouette was absorbed into Itami's hand.

Nendo came out cautiously from where he hid behind the tree. Approaching the limp shinobi, he kicked at the body. It flew against a rock and fell to the ground again, still lifeless.

"He's dead, hmm? What technique did you use?" Nendo had never heard of nor seen anything like the jutsu Itami used to silently kill the opponent.

"It's a technique that allows me to read minds and steal souls. Pain-san calls it Human Path."

"What about the other one?" Nendo jerked his head towards the edge of the forest, where the second guard was waiting.

"We'll use the same method. You lure him in here, and I'll use Human Path again."

…

Nendo and Itami stood over the two bodies of the Kumogakure shinobi.

"What are we gonna do with the bodies, hmm?"

"**I'll take care of it.**" Zetsu rose from the ground in front of the two clones, "**Leader-sama wanted me to congratulate you two on your progress.**"

Itami looked surprised. "He knows what we do?"

"He knows everything." White Zetsu beat his other half in answering.

Leaving the two corpses for Zetsu to devour, Itami and Nendo headed into the now-unguarded village of Kumogakure.

"Where do we go?" Nendo wondered.

"The Jinchuuriki is called Ni'I Yugito. Let's take a look around, and be careful not to attract any attention," Itami suggested.

The duo wandered around for a bit in the streets, Nendo occasionally stopping to look at artwork and pottery. Suddenly, a voice drew their attention from the shops around them.

"Ni'I! Back from your mission already?"

Whirling around, the clones saw one of the shopkeepers speaking to a young woman with long blond hair tied back into a braid. The woman wore a black and purple blouse with black pants. On her hands were purple, finger-less gloves, and she had a red belt around her waist.

As Itami and Nendo watched, the woman called Ni'I bought a bracelet from the shopkeeper and started walking away. The clones instinctively started following her, but they were careful to act as natural as they could. They did not know that Ni'l was a Jonin, and that she noticed them right away.

…

"You're from the Akatsuki?" Ni'I had never heard of the organization before.

"Yes, we are, hmm," Nendo replied.

"And what could this Akatsuki want with me?"

Nendo scoffed. "We don't want you, hmm. We want what's inside you."

_So they want Matatabi._ Ni'i wasn't going to give up her Two-Tailed friend so easily. "And what do you plan to do with what's inside me?"

"Enough questions," Itami appeared behind Ni'I, "Hurry up and catch her."

_Ni'I, this is Matatabi speaking. _The Two-Tails spoke to Ni'I in her sub-consciousness. _These two people are dangerous, especially the girl. They're not going to let you escape, so your only choice is to fight. First, you have to get out of the village._

_So the villagers won't be harmed. I didn't know you cared._ Ni'I answered as she began running.

_Well, I do, and run faster. They're catching up. _Ni'I glanced behind her, and sure enough, Itami and Nendo were keeping up easily. Ni'I pushed harder, and soon arrived in an open field about fifteen miles away from Kumo.

Spinning around to face her pursuers, Ni'I spoke to Matatabi again. _Just how strong are they?_

_The girl has a large chakra reserve, and her eyes are no ordinary eyes. Those eyes are called the Rinnegan. I don't know much about it, so that's one of our disadvantages. _Matatabi sounded worried for once.

_And the boy?_

_His chakra nature is earth. Lucky for you, you know a couple of Lightning Style techniques._

"Well, let's take him down first," Ni'I spoke out loud as she formed signs.

"Tch. Why don't you just come quietly, hmm?" Nendo complained.

Silence.

"You have got to be kidding!" Ni'I yelled, infuriated.

"Here she comes," Itami warned Nendo.


	14. Two-Tails: Captured

"Itami! Can't you freaking do something, hmm?" Nendo yelled, desperately dodging another lightning attack.

"Give me some time!" Itami shouted back. "I'm trying to work out a strategy!"

"Well, hurry, hmm! You know Lightning Style is my weakness!"

Ignoring Nendo, Itami stared around the battlefield. There used to be trees, but almost all of it was destroyed by Nendo's bombs and the Jinchuuriki's attacks. They couldn't rely too much on the element of surprise, unless it was underground.

Now that that part was worked out, Itami just had to organize her own abilities. Animal Path, the ability to summon a beast for help, would attract other ninjas, so that was out. Preta Path would be very helpful in this situation because it absorbs ninjutsu. Naraku Path wouldn't be much use; they weren't trying to interrogate anyone. Human Path wouldn't help at all because that would just kill the Jinchuuriki. Asura Path wasn't needed either, since Nendo was good with explosives. Deva Path would be all right as long as the Shinra Tensei wasn't too strong.

"Itami, help!" Nendo's voice cut into Itami's thoughts. Looking around, she saw him pinned against a tree with the Two-Tails' Jinchuuriki readying another Lightning Jutsu.

Using a little power from the Deva Path, Itami raced forward, planting herself in front of Nendo with one arm outstretched.

_Preta Path!_ Yugito's Lightning attack was absorbed by the transparent sphere that appeared in front of Itami and Nendo.

"Thank God. I thought you had forgotten me, hmm."

"I've worked out a plan." Itami ignored Nendo's thanks. "Your bombs will play a large part in it."

"Finally! Hurry up and…watch out!"

Itami felt a sudden pain in her shoulder. While she had been speaking with Nendo, Yugito had taken the chance to drive a kunai into a weak spot.

_Deva Path!_ Itami took care to use just enough power to shove Yugito and the kunai away. As much as Itami wanted revenge, Pain would kill her himself if she disobeyed orders and murdered a Jinchuuriki.

Not waiting for Yugito to get up, Itami quickly whispered her plan to Nendo, who smirked and nodded. His hands immediately began molding clay as Itami dashed forward, sliding a chakra rod from her sleeve as she went.

Yugito's attention went to Itami, claws growing out from her hands and feet at the same time. The two ninjas clashed and fought hand-to-hand combat. Meawhile, Nendo had gotten onto a clay bird and was preparing more bombs. Once the fresh batch of bombs was ready, he threw them towards the battling kunoichis.

Out of the corner of her eye, Itami saw the clay bombs dropping from the sky. Avoiding a slash from her opponent, she leaped high into the air and landed on Nendo's bird just as Nendo shouted, "Katsu!"

The bombs exploded, shrouding Yugito in a cloud of smoke.

Itami and Nendo waited impatiently for the smoke to dissipate, wanting to see what became of their target. They received a nasty surprise.

A giant cat covered in blue flames erupted from the smoke and seized the clay bird in its paws. Instinctively, Itami grabbed Nendo and the two jumped off before they were crushed. They had to jump again the moment their feet touched the ground to avoid the fireball that was aimed at them.

"She gave herself over completely, hmm!" Nendo cried.

Now Itami had no other choice. Calling to Nendo to distract the Two-Tailed Cat, she herself jumped onto the beast's back, using Deva Path to prevent herself from catching on fire. The Tailed Beast, too intent on Nendo, did not notice her.

Since Itami could not use two Paths at once, she had to stop the Deva Path. Her feet immediately started to burn. Ignoring the spreading pain, she focused chakra into the palms of her hands. The Two-Tails finally noticed her and started rearing and twisting to try to throw her off.

Itami grabbed onto the back of the Two-Tails to reduce the risk of being thrown off. Now with her hand stinging as well, she released to chakra she had gathered.

_Asura Path!_

The Two-Tails was slammed to the ground by the force of the explosion. The cat screeched with pain as Itami was thrown off. She landed on her injured shoulder and gritted her teeth to stop herself from screaming with the cat.

Itami laid there for a couple of seconds and then pushed herself into the sitting position. The Jinchuuriki had transformed back, and Nendo was rushing over with a worried look on his face.

"Are you all right?"

"It's just bruises, a bleeding shoulder, and burns covering my hand and feet." Itami stood, wobbling slightly. Readying another chakra rod, she staggered unsteadily to where Yugito lay and drove the rod into the unconscious Jinchuuriki's shoulder. Now Yugito would not be able to move if she woke up.

"Let's get to the base." Nendo made a second clay bird, and the three of them headed to the nearest Akatsuki base.

…

"Well done." Pain congratulated his apprentice and her partner. "You should get those wounds looked over. All the other clones are here as well."

"What? Why?" Itami couldn't see why the others should be here.

"I called them back."

"Oh, okay."

Ningyou suddenly burst into the room, followed by Karasu, who was saying, "Ningyou, you can't just intrude into other peoples' conversation…"

"Congratulations!" Ningyou completely ignored Karasu's lecture. "You caught the Two-Tails!"

"Perfect timing, Ningyou. You can lead Itami and Nendo to the room outside so you can treat their wounds. The members need to begin with the sealing." Pain formed a couple seals and summoned the Gedo Statue.

_**Sorry I took so long to update. I had a total of three essays due this week, and I wanted to do my best on them. But thanks a lot for waiting patiently and not sending me angry messages. **_

_**And guys, please review. I need reviews to stay motivated. Next chapter will come as soon as possible.**_


	15. Spies and Traitors

"Your wounds aren't too bad," Ningyou said as she bandaged up Itami's various injuries, "Good thing you have the Deva Path."

"Yeah," Itami winced slightly as she tried to flex her shoulder, "And that was just the Two-Tails."

"You believe that the number of tails determines the power of the Tailed Beast?" Karasu asked, walking into the room.

Itami shrugged one shoulder. "It makes sense to me."

Sutetchi poked his head through the doorway. "Leader-sama wants all the clones, with the exception of Itami, Kuroi, and Shiro, to guard the base while the Akatsuki extracts the Two-Tails."

Ningyou and Karasu left the room, leaving Itami staring indignantly out into the hall. _I can fight just fine even with an injured shoulder, thank you very much! _Even so, she didn't disobey her mentor and stayed in the room.

…

"Say that again, damn shark!"

Sakan grinned at Fumetsu's reaction. "I said if Nendo and Itami are so weak, why are they the first ones to capture a Jinchuuriki?"

Sutetchi and Tenchi rolled their eyes. They would never say it out loud, but both of them actually missed Fumetsu and Sakan's daily fighting. The others clearly didn't.

"Guys, shut up for once, will you?" Shiro complained.

"Make them stop!" Ningyou begged Karasu.

"Like hell we'll listen to that genjutsu-obsessed coward!" Fumetsu snapped at Ningyou.

Karasu stood up and towered over Fumetsu and Sakan. "Shut your mouths," she hissed, "Or I will put you into an infinite genjutsu."

"She told you," Nendo smirked.

"**Shut up, all of you**," Kuroi appeared from the wall, "**The Akatsuki can hear you all from inside, and it's interfering with the sealing of the Two-Tails.**"

"How long do we have to stay here?" Tenchi asked.

"**The sealing takes about two days, but Leader-sama only requested that Itami and Nendo stay for the entire time. The rest of you can set out again whenever you like."**

"I thought he wanted all of us to stay," Sutetchi said.

"**He changed his mind."**

"Good. We're off." Ningyou grabbed Karasu's arm and dragged her away.

Fumetsu shot Sakan a last glare and headed in the opposite direction of the two kunoichis. Sutetchi sighed and followed, keeping a distance between him and the angry ninja.

"Let's go, Sakan," Tenchi said. Sakan sneered at Fumetsu's retreating figure before following Tenchi south.

"You know, it does get a little lonely without the others around," Shiro remarked to Kuroi.

…

"The clones sure love arguing, huh?" Kisame chuckled.

"Correction. Your clone and Hidan's clone love arguing," Sasori said.

"Why does my clone have to be so annoying?" Hidan fumed.

"Now you know how we all feel about you, hmm?" Deidara sneered.

"Enough," Pain cut in before any more Akatsuki members could join the argument, "There is something I wish to discuss with you all since everyone is here."

Silence fell as all attention went to Pain.

"Zetsu has told me that there have been Sound Ninja loitering around the main base in Amegakure. Now, I'm sure you know that the Village Hidden in the Sound is where Orochimaru is."

Various murmurs of assent came from the members. "Is the old snake finally making a move?" Kisame muttered.

"That is highly possible. Of course, he hasn't made a noticeable move yet, but I want all of you on your guard."

"What about our clones?" Sasori voiced the question everyone was thinking.

"I will call them to the main base if any threat is detected. All of you should report to the main base, too, if that happens."

"Finally, some action!" Hidan exclaimed, "It'll make a nice change to the boring schedules we have."

Pain glared at the immortal. "This is no laughing matter. Orochimaru has been isolated for so long; we do not know what kinds of new abilities he has learned. If we don't take this seriously, we may lose the battle."

…

"It's very nice of you to come here today," Orochimaru smiled.

The clone glared at him. "When are we going to start the war?"

"Have patience. I've already set up spies. We'll be able to attack in a few weeks, as soon as I have enough information."

"You promised that we would destroy them!" The clone was getting aggravated, "Don't tell me now that it was just a lie!"

Kabuto stepped out from the shadows. "Orochimaru-sama is not lying. You will get to fight the Akatsuki and your fellow clones. Extra preparations just need to be made."

They watched the clone struggling to calm down. After a couple seconds, the clone sighed and said, "Fine. Just make it as soon as possible. I don't want to wait any longer."

"You won't." Orochimaru's eyes flashed as he watched the clone leave.

_**Anybody want to take a guess as to who the traitor is? I won't tell you if you're right or wrong; the reward will be the feeling of satisfaction you get when you finally find out. Reviews are welcome, and enjoy the story!**_


	16. Tailed Beast Number Two

_**All spotlights go to Tenchi and Sakan this chapter!**_

"Iwagakure is so dry," Sakan commented to Tenchi.

"I know. It's better than being wet though, because I wouldn't be able to use my paper if it was wet," Tenchi replied.

"I prefer the wet."

"Of course you do; you're a shark."

"Oh, shut up."

They walked around the stony roads in Iwagakure in silence until Sakan broke the silence again.

"We're supposed to get the Five-Tails, right?"

"Yeah."

"What if the Five-Tails isn't in the village?"

Tenchi stopped in his tracks. "Crap. You might be right. How did you think of that?"

"Itami told me that the Jinchuuriki for the Two-Tails had been out on a mission before the capture."

Tenchi sighed. "Well, let's finish searching the village before we go anywhere else."

He stopped a villager and asked, "Excuse me, sir. Could you tell me if a man named Han is in this village?"

"Goodness, young man! What would you want to do with that monster?" The villager looked shocked.

Tenchi acted confused. "What do you mean?"

"That so-called human harbors the Five-Tailed Dolphin Horse. He is a beast! A demon! But if you insist on meeting him, then I will tell you where he is. You see those mountains there?" The villager pointed to some nearby peaks.

Tenchi and Sakan peered in that direction, noting the solitude of the land.

"He is usually walking around the mountain in the middle. As I said before, he is strange; a beast!" Shaking his head, the villager walked away, muttering about demons and monsters.

"Well, that person was interesting!" Sakan said. Tenchi rolled his eyes, and the two headed for the mountains.

…

"How long do you think it'll take for us to search this entire mountain?" Tenchi gazed up at the towering mountain.

"Uh, I guess about three to four days," Sakan sounded hesitant. Tenchi couldn't blame him since he didn't want to search the entire mountain either.

"Hmm? Who's that?" Sakan's question jerked Tenchi's attention to a figure coming towards them.

As the figure drew closer, the clones saw that he was wearing a red hat and what looked like red armor. A mask covered the lower half of his face so only his eyes could be seen. He was tall and slightly intimidating. Stopping in front of Tenchi and Sakan, he stared down at them.

"What are two teenagers doing around these mountains?" his voice was emotionless and slightly muffled by his mask.

"Are you Han?" Tenchi refused to be looked down upon.

The man looked surprised. "Have we met before?"

"No, but we know about you." Sakan stood next to Tenchi.

"Who's we?"

"The Akatsuki. They're a group of S-ranked criminals, and they want to capture all of the Tailed Beasts that exist in this world…"

"Sakan! Shut up!" Too late.

"You are the ones who kidnapped Ni'I Yugito of Kumogakure?" Han sounded incredulous. "Teenagers such as yourselves defeated the Jinchuuriki for the Two-Tails?"

Tenchi shot a look of venom at Sakan, who winced slightly and smiled apologetically. "It wasn't the two of us specifically."

Han scoffed behind his mask. "Well, this Akatsuki thing isn't gonna get Kokuo. You two run back and tell your leader that."

Sakan looked confused. "What the hell is a Kokuo?"

"Don't you know that the Tailed Beasts have names? The Five-Tails is called Kokuo."

"Oh. Well, it doesn't really matter because we're going to capture you, does it?" Sakan drew the Samehada copy he carried with him.

Han, however, barely flinched. "I strongly advise you to walk away while you can."

"We aren't going back without the Five-Tails." Paper started peeling away from Tenchi's face and body.

"Such stubborn teenagers." Han decided that he would have to fight if he wanted these two to leave him alone. He began to prepare his steam.

"Just don't blame me if you get killed instead."

_**Sorry for the short chapters. Lots of other work to do, and not enough time to think. Anyway, reviews are appreciated, and stay tuned for the next chapter.**_


	17. The First Move

"He sure put up a fight." Sakan wiped sweat from his forehead.

Tenchi slowly gathered up all the extra pieces of paper fluttering around, returning them to his face. Han lay unconscious in front of him.

"Do you want to carry him, or shall I?" Sakan asked.

"You can carry him on your sword. If I carry him, it will consume my chakra."

"The clones have really progressed, don't you agree?" Zetsu said, rising up from the ground.

"Zetsu-san, do you have a message for us from Leader-sama?" Tenchi asked.

"**There's an intelligent one.**"

"Well, the only reasons you would appear to us are if Leader-sama has a message, or if there are dead bodies to hide," Tenchi pointed out.

"So what's the message?" Sakan lifted Han onto the copy of Samehada.

"All clones are to report back to the base."

"We're going to the base anyway," Sakan said.

"**Not that base. The base in Amegakure.**"

"Why does he want us in that base?" Tenchi started to get a feeling that something was wrong.

"**You'll find out when you get there.**" Zetsu started sinking back into the ground. "The Jinchuuriki should be dropped off at the nearest hideout though."

…

"When you the chance, you should kill this one first." Orochimaru tossed a folded up piece of paper to the clone standing across from him.

The clone opened the piece of paper. "This one will be hard."

"Are you saying you can't do it?"

"No!" The clone stiffened. "It will just take a little time."

Orochimaru smiled. "Take all the time you need. Just don't get caught."

The clone turned to leave, but Orochimaru called it back, "And don't forget the blood."

...

"Where's Leader-sama?" Sakan looked around the base, but there was nobody there except for him and Tenchi.

"He'll be here soon," Tenchi guessed.

"Looks like we're second, Nendo." Tenchi and Sakan whipped around to see Itami and Nendo walking in.

"And we're third." Karasu and Ningyou appeared after Itami and Nendo.

"Now we're just waiting for Kuroi, Shiro, Fumetsu, and Sutetchi," Ningyou summarized.

A voice sounded from outside the base. "I said 'let go,' Sutetchi!"

"Just Kuroi and Shiro, then, hmm," Nendo said, amusement in his voice.

Sutetchi and Fumetsu came in, and the clones could see why Fumetsu was shouting so furiously. Sutetchi had wrapped his threads around Fumetsu's wrists and ankles, lifting her up from the ground. He must have practically carried or dragged her here.

"Forgot how to walk?" Sakan was choking with laughter.

"Shut up, fucking shark!"

Sutetchi dropped Fumetsu, looking harassed. "I had to drag her here like that because she was so caught up in cursing a Kirigakure shinobi."

"I was about to deal the killing blow!" Fumetsu complained, glaring at Sutetchi.

"**What's all this noise?**" Kuroi materialized from the wall, jumping down to join the other clones.

"Sutetchi found a new way of transporting Fumetsu around," Karasu summed it up in one sentence.

"Where's Shiro?" Tenchi asked Kuroi.

"**He doesn't need to come. Our senses and minds are linked.**"

"Where the hell is that wretched leader?" Fumetsu snapped, "He called us here and he's being late!"

"No, I'm not." With a light buzzing sound, Pain appeared in the middle of the ring of clones, scaring the living daylights out of some of them.

He looked around at them, and asked, "Where is Shiro?"

"**Does he need to be here?**"

"Call him," Pain ordered.

"**He's already on his way.**"

A couple seconds later, Shiro popped up from the ground the same way Kuroi had done. "My apologies, Leader-sama. I thought that only Kuroi or I had to be here."

"That is all right, Shiro. I still have to notify the other members." Pain formed a hand seal, allowing him communication to the other Akatsuki members.

…

"So the old snake's finally made a move, eh?" Kisame said from next to Sakan.

"I have seen his subordinate, Kabuto, wandering around Amegakure." Pain's gaze raked through the others. "I have decided to postpone any missions. All of us will be staying in this base until further notice."

Ningyou stepped forward boldly. "Are we going to fight with Otogakure?"

Pain stared straight into her eyes. "It is a possibility, but let us hope it will not come to that."

"Pain," Konan spoke for the first time at the meeting, "We should tell them now."

"Tell us what?" Sakan demanded.

His question was ignored. "They deserve to know," Konan pressed on.

She and Pain stared at each other for a long time, until Pain finally sighed and said, "Very well. I'll tell them why this is happening."

_**Da-da-da duuuummmm! Things are getting intense! What angered Orochimaru so much might actually seem trivial to you guys, but to him, it's a really large blow. Reviews are appreciated, and look out for the next chapter.**_


	18. War is Declared

"You mean Orochimaru wants to destroy the Akatsuki just because you guys rejected his jutsu?" Sutetchi asked with his voice filled with disbelief.

"What was the technique?" Tenchi wanted to know more.

"It's a technique that binds a dead person's soul to the earth. The user is able to manipulate the dead person at will, and a living sacrifice must be made in order to resurrect the dead one," Pain explained to the shocked clones.

"What's this technique called?" Fumetsu asked, interest sparking in her eyes.

Pain looked straight into her eyes. "Edo Tensei."

"What if he uses Edo Tensei against us in a battle?" Karasu asked, "Do you have a backup plan?"

"We can just kill Orochimaru, can't we?" Ningyou suggested.

"That won't work." Pain dismissed that idea. "Killing the user won't stop the technique, and Orochimaru is a powerful ninja. He cannot be killed easily."

"Can we kill the resurrected shinobi?" Sakan wondered.

"No. As long as their souls are bound to the earth, we cannot maim them." It was getting frustrating as one method was being dismissed after another.

"Then what can we do?" Nendo wracked his brain.

"What about sealing them?" Karasu brought up a new theory.

Pain thought for a while. "That might work. Or we could incapacitate them, but the incapacitation will be more difficult if there are more of Edo Tensei shinobi."

Suddenly, Shiro popped in from the wall. "Leader-sama, there's this pale guy with long black hair outside waiting to speak with you. He says his name is Orochimaru!"

* * *

"It's been a long time, Pain," Orochimaru smirked. Kabuto stood beside him, and four other strangers flanked the two.

"Orochimaru," Pain said with a voice as cold as ice. Itami tensed a little from beside her mentor. The other clones stood beside their originals, and they were all in a bunch behind Pain, ready to fight if needed.

Kabuto caught Karasu's eye and gave her a mocking look. Karasu returned the look through narrowed eyes. She had clearly not forgotten that he had used her as an "example" the first time they had met.

"I suppose you know why we are here." Orochimaru's nasty smirk stayed in place.

"It's to get revenge, isn't it?" Pain's Rinnegan bore into Orochimaru's snake-eyes.

"Heh heh heh. We've been out of touch for years, yet you can still guess my intentions. However…"

"What?" Pain couldn't think of a reason why Orochimaru would not want to get his revenge.

"However, if you return the clones, I will leave the matter alone and leave you in peace."

Pain glanced at Itami. She stared back with fear and determination in her eyes. In the past few years, she had become his friend. She was someone who understood him, and Pain couldn't imagine the Akatsuki without her.

"My clone is staying," Pain growled.

"So is mine," Konan added. Tenchi looked relieved.

"And mine." Kisame grinned. Sakan gave his teacher a friendly punch on the shoulder.

Itachi stepped in front of Karasu, blocking her from Orochimaru's view.

"My apprentice understands that art is supposed to be a bang, hmm!" Deidara smirked.

Sasori scoffed. "My apprentice will bring the concept of real art to the next level. I'm not giving her up that easily."

Zetsu stared daggers at Orochimaru. "Are you asking me to give you my plant buddy?"

Sutetchi glared at Kakuzu, who said, "Don't glare at me like that. I wasn't gonna send you away."

"Hell, my apprentice can be a pain sometimes, but I'm not letting you take her!" Hidan hollered.

Orochimaru's face twisted. "Very well. Then this is war."

Pain took a threatening step forward. "Go back to Otogakure, Orochimaru. You cannot hope to win against us here."

With that, Pain turned around and started walking back to the hideout. The rest of the Akatsuki followed suit. Orochimaru turned to one of the four strangers and nodded. The ninja, who had eight limbs, immediately started weaving signs. He spat out a strange substance into his hands and threw it at the Akatsuki. The substance spread out and took the form of a giant spider web, trapping the Akatsuki and their clones underneath.

Karasu retaliated with Wind Style: Wind Blade Slash, tearing the web apart. The eight-limbed ninja had made daggers out of the same substance as the web, and he threw them at Karasu. Ningyou quickly attached chakra threads to her partner and yanked Karasu out of the way. Tenchi and Konan formed paper shurikens and hurled them at the enemy. The shurikens struck the ground in front of the Otogakure ninjas. After the dust cleared, Orochimaru and his followers were nowhere to be seen.

"Did we get them?" Sutetchi asked.

"No," Pain said, "They escaped, using the dust as a cover. They will come back."

* * *

"From now on, you must stay in pairs," Pain ordered, "If you are going to leave the base, you have to let me know where you're going."

"Understood," most of the clones replied.

* * *

"Is everything ok?" Karasu asked Ningyou, "You look upset."

"It's all because of Tobi," Ningyou grumbled, "He walked up to me and said 'Ningyou-chan, don't wander off now. You don't want your daddy to be worried, do you?' He called Sasori-san my FATHER! And stop laughing!" she added when Karasu turned away.

"What did you do?" Karasu struggled to keep a straight face.

"He ran off before I could do anything!"

Karasu doubled over, laughing. Ningyou glared at her best friend for a moment and could no longer restrain her own laughter.

"It seems our apprentices find something highly amusing, Itachi," Sasori's cool voice echoed around the corridor.

"Itachi-san! Sasori-san!" NIngyou gasped. She and Karasu both straightened up to face their mentors.

Sasori gazed at them with curious eyes. "Would you like to tell us about this thing you're laughing at?"

"Um, well…Tobi said…" Ningyou started to explain.

"Of course it's Tobi. Go on," Itachi became interested in what Tobi had said.

"Tobi called Sasori-san Ningyou's father," Karasu said before Ningyou could stop her.

Ningyou blushed, Sasori looked shocked, and Itachi's eyes widened. After a couple seconds, Itachi started chuckling and Sasori smiled.

* * *

"Is Kidomaru ready?" the clone asked impatiently.

"Everything is in order," Orochimaru assured.

"Good. Have him wait at the ruins in the Forest in the Death."

"He is already there with the thousand Otogakure shinobi."

"He and his group will have to take care of the first one. I need to kill the second one you assigned."

Orochimaru smiled. "Go for it."

_**I'm getting the feeling that a lot of readers will be angry with me after the next chapter. Well, reviews are still appreciated and thanks for reading!**_


	19. Ambush

_**Someone asked me to make a bond between Itachi and Karasu. Not like a romantic bond, that's too weird, but like a brother-sister bond.**_

"Itachi-san, have you ever seen war?" Karasu gazed at her mentor curiously.

Itachi took a moment to respond. "Yes, I have. I witnessed the Third Shinobi World War when I was four years old."

"That must have been terrible."

"It was something that should not have been seen at such a young age."

"Why is Orochimaru making such a fuss over the rejection of a single jutsu? Each ninja has its own preferences."

"Perhaps that is why he is making such a fuss. Besides…" Itachi lowered his voice, "…he hates me especially."

Karasu turned to stare into Itachi's eyes. "How come?"

"He tried to take my body and failed."

"He what?" Karasu nearly fell off the railing in shock. Itachi grabbed her by the wrist and helped her regain balance. "He tried to take your body?"

"Orochimaru tries to prolong his life by stealing the bodies of younger shinobi."

"So he tried to take your body?"

"Orochimaru has always been ruthless with his actions, and he wanted my Sharingan."

"If he failed to take your body, would he try to take mine? He doesn't care about gender, right?"

"And that is why you need to be more careful."

"I am careful."

Itachi reached over and patted Karasu on the head, which was a rare gesture of affection.

* * *

Karasu walked down the dark corridor, intent on finding Ningyou.

Fumetsu's voice came out of the darkness. "Leader wants us to keep lookout in the Forest of Death."

Karasu turned to face her fellow clone. "The Forest of Death?"

"That's what I said."

"Very well." Karasu changed direction and headed for the exit.

The two walked in silence in the forest, occasionally stopping to examine the ground or listen for danger. Soon, they came to a large clearing. An old building stood in the middle. The roof had caved in so it was basically a structure that had four walls enclosing an area.

Suddenly, Fumetsu whipped her head around. "What was that?"

Karasu glanced at her. "What?"

"I think I saw something in the trees." Fumetsu reached for her scythe.

Karasu walked towards the ancient structure. "It's probably nothing."

"I'm going to check anyway."

"Fine."

Fumetsu disappeared into the forest again. Karasu stood in the area the structure surrounded, gazing up at the walls.

Suddenly, a flock of birds flew up from the trees nearby, calling loudly. Karasu narrowed her eyes; something must have disturbed the birds. Something big. She activated her Sharingan just in time to dodge an arrow fired at her.

"You're Uchiha Itachi's clone, right?" Karasu looked up to see the man with six arms grinning down at her. He carried a bow, suggesting that he was the one who shot the arrow.

"And you are…?" Karasu questioned as she prepared to defend herself.

"Name's Kidomaru. I am one of the Sound Ninja Four," he sneered.

"And what would Orochimaru want with me?"

"You're smart, and I like that," Kidomaru spun another arrow from the spider web gunk that came from his mouth, "I'll get straight to the point. Orochimaru-san says that he is going to give you a choice. You can either join him to defeat the Akatsuki…" he fitted the arrow into the bow and pointed it at Karasu's heart, "…or die here."

Karasu nearly laughed out loud. "That doesn't even need consideration."

"Then give me your answer." Kidomaru tightened the bow string, ready to shoot.

"There's no way I'd join him. I am not a traitor." _Clang!_ Karasu easily deflected Kidomaru's arrow with a kunai.

Kidomaru still wore his sick smile. "Speaking of traitors, do you know that one of your numbers has already betrayed you? Yes," he relished at Karasu's shock, "In fact, the traitor led you here."

"Fumetsu…" Karasu snarled.

"Ah, yes. That's her name. By the way…" Kidomaru's smile grew wider, "…she has gone to take care of another one while I deal with you."

Karasu spun on her heels and headed in the direction of the base. She had barely walked ten steps when a giant spider web fell over the old ruin, blocking all escape routes.

"Where are you going?" Kidomaru taunted from outside of the web. "The game has barely begun. I've waited so long to challenge you. Do you not want to fight me?"

"Do not waste my time," Karasu snapped.

"Oh, don't worry. This game will end quickly." A mass of sound ninjas appeared beside Kidomaru. They positioned themselves on the walls of the ruin; all of them were armed with kunais.

_This is going to be bad._ For the first time, Karasu feared that she would not get out of this alive.

"I hope you said goodbye to your friends before coming here."

_**How many of you thought Fumetsu was the traitor? If you did, I applaud you. Good guessing!**_

_**Reviews are appreciated, and stay tuned for the next chapter!**_


	20. Flight of the Crow

**_I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! My family moved, so I've been busy packing and unpacking. I couldn't work on fanfiction in the car either. Please forgive!_**

Lightning Style: Thunder Needles! Karasu fired the needles at the attacking Otogakure ninjas. Many went down, but it wasn't enough. Most of the enemies just ducked behind the wall, using chakra to make sure they didn't slide off.

Kidomaru gave the signal, telling his army to throw a mass of shurikens and kunais at the target. Karasu failed to deflect all of the attacks, thus adding more wounds to the numerous scratches she already had.

"Why don't you just give up?" Kidomaru aimed an arrow at the weakened and exhausted kunoichi.

"Give up and die?" Karasu glared at Kidomaru while gasping for breath, "And leave my friends alone in this war? That's just as bad as betraying them!"

Kidomaru laughed. "Shame. Your existence means nothing anyway." He let go. Karasu dodged to the side but not fast enough. The arrow left a deep cut in her arm. Blood gushed from the wound, soaking her sleeve.

Karasu barely took any notice. "Then I'll make my existence mean something!" she retorted.

Neither of them noticed a white head poking out from a nearby tree.

* * *

"**Karasu's in trouble!"** Kuroi's shout alarmed everyone in the hideout.

"What?" Ningyou immediately rushed to the black clone.

In a flash, Itachi stood over Kuroi. "Where is she?" he demanded.

"**At the ruins in the Forest of Death.**"

"Is she alone?" Disbelief showed in Pein's voice.

"**That's what I don't understand. Karasu never disobeys orders."**

Ningyou barely heard the last line. She raced for the doors, ignoring Pain when he called to her to wait. Footsteps followed her and she looked back just in time to see Itachi race past. Sasori was right behind him. The three of them went to find Karasu.

* * *

"Perhaps you'd like to change your mind?" Kidomaru pointed another arrow at Karasu. Karasu said nothing but gazed at him with fury in her eyes.

"Hmph." Kidomaru let the arrow fly. It pierced Karasu's left shoulder, drilling a hole. She gritted her teeth against the pain and refused to scream out. Instead, she fell to her knees, putting her hand to the wound. Through the haze of pain, she saw the enemy readying the last arrow. The arrow that would surely kill her.

_Wshhh!_

* * *

"Itachi-san!" Ningyou called to the head of the patrol, "How much longer until we get to the ruins?"

Sasori answered for him. "About ten minutes."

"That's taking too long! Karasu might be dead by the time we get there!"

Sasori stared at her for a moment longer. "Itachi! Go on ahead!" he said, "We'll catch up!"

Itachi nodded and sped up, soon leaving Ningyou and Sasori behind.

_Wait for us, Karasu! _Ningyou pleaded silently.

* * *

Karasu barely felt anything. It happened so quickly she didn't even know it happened until the shock wore off and the pain began. The arrow had missed her heart by millimeters, but the wound was still bleeding heavily. Feeling drained of all energy, Karasu fell facedown onto the ground.

"Finally, she's done. I'm impressed. She managed to use a Wind Style move at the last moment to mess up my arrow's aim. I don't meet prey like this very often." Kidomaru chuckled before putting his bow away. "Let's go back to Orochimaru-san!" he called to the Sound Ninjas that had survived Karasu's attacks.

"But Kidomaru-san, shouldn't we make sure the clone is dead?" One Sound Ninja asked.

"Even if she isn't dead now, she'll die soon. She's losing too much blood," Kidomaru shrugged.

Shiro popped up silently beside Karasu. "Karasu," he whispered, "Karasu, wake up!" He gave the limp kunoichi a desperate nudge.

"Looks like another clone decided to show its face." Shiro looked up to see Kidomaru standing over him.

"Which clone is this?" Kidomaru called to his Sound Ninja army.

"It is one of the clones of Zetsu, Kidomaru-san," a sound Ninja hastened to answer.

"Ah, yes. The plant-man." Kidomaru took out his bow and placed an arrow in it, this time pointing at Shiro. "Orochimaru-san will be so pleased when he learns I eliminated two clones instead of one."

Instinctively, Shiro jumped up and began to run. "You can't escape my arrows!" Kidomaru yelled, releasing the bow string.

_Crack!_ The arrow drilled a hole through the tree that was behind Shiro, but Shiro himself had disappeared.

"Where did he…?" Kidomaru whirled around, "What the…?"

Karasu had miraculously gotten back up. A transparent skeletal warrior took up the ground around her. In one of the warrior's hands was Shiro, who looked terrified and relieved.

"Karasu, your eyes…" he breathed. Karasu's eyes had changed. They weren't the regular onyx color of her normal eyes, nor were they the Sharingan. There was still a red background and a black design, but the design was not the three comma-like shapes of the original Sharingan.

Karasu touched her eyes. "So this is the Mangekyou Sharingan Itachi-san was talking about," she rasped.

Shiro let out a cry of surprise as the skeletal warrior suddenly swung its arm inwards and dropped Shiro next to Karasu in its rib cage. Karasu winced at the pain that came as a price for controlling the warrior called Susano'o. She coughed up blood, and in the moment that her focus wavered, Susano'o flickered and disappeared.

Kidomaru let out a snarl of frustration. He had already used up his chakra to create all those arrows, and the clones were still alive. He whipped out a kunai and charged with murderous intent.

"Shiro," Karasu said, "Help me." Shiro seized Karasu's arm and jumped onto a wall of the ruins. "Where do we go?" he asked desperately. He noticed that Karasu had closed an eye.

"Make sure you stand where I can't see you," she ordered as blood trickled from the closed eye. Shiro immediately sank into the wall, disappearing entirely.

Karasu focused her gaze at Kidomaru, who just jumped into the air. Concentrating as hard as she could, she allowed the pressure in her eye to build up and opened it.

_Amaterasu!_

Kidomaru erupted into black flames. He shrieked and fell to the ground, where he writhed as he was burned alive. Within seconds, he had turned into a pile of ash. The black fire went out.

Not giving the Sound Ninjas time to fully realize what happened; Karasu jumped off the wall and transferred her glare to the army. More screams of pain echoed around the clearing as the Sound Ninja army suffered from Amaterasu's blaze.

* * *

Itachi burst through the last of the trees and skidded to a halt in front of the piles of ash surrounding the ruin. _This is…Amaterasu!_ Realizing this, he scanned the clearing for Karasu. She swayed in the center of the clearing and started to fall. Itachi used Body Flicker to transport himself next to her and catch her before she hit the ground.

"Karasu…" Itachi was at a loss for words.

"Itachi-san," Karasu smiled, "I awakened…the Mangekyou."

"I know," Itachi answered, hoping that would quiet her before Ningyou and Sasori arrived.

Karasu kept talking. "It's…Fumetsu. Fumetsu is…the traitor…and she has…gone to…kill another…one."

"Don't talk, Karasu. Ningyou and Sasori are coming and they'll be able to heal you," Itachi assured.

Karasu shook her head. "I'm already…too far gone."

"What do you mean?" Itachi felt panic rising in him. "You're not going to die! We won't let you!"

Karasu disregarded what Itachi just said. "Please, Itachi-san. Tell Ningyou…not…to give up." She seized Itachi's wrist, "Promise me…you'll tell her."

Itachi nodded, too numb to speak.

Karasu relaxed. "Thank you." Her words were barely a whisper. Eyes glazing over, the hand holding Itachi's wrist fell and Karasu moved no more. Itachi hugged his apprentice's body to him, shaking as he struggled to hold back tears.

…_**..It's ok, guys. You can yell at me for killing Karasu in your reviews.**_

_**This isn't the last of Karasu though; she'll come back later. I needed to have her die here so I could… (claps hand to mouth) Crap. I nearly gave away part of the story.**_

_**Another announcement. I'm going to be posting the approximate release dates for the next chapters of this story on my profile. Please remember that the dates are APPROXIMATE, so don't get confused if the chapter does not come out on that specific date. Release dates for the chapters of The Uchiha Legacy and Modern Akatsuki are also listed there.**_

_**Reviews are still appreciated (I'm scared), and thanks for reading!**_


	21. Fumetsu Strikes Again

_**Story is close to ending. So excited! :D**_

Ningyou burst through the last of the trees and stopped dead. Itachi was kneeling on the ground, holding a limp figure. Karasu. "No," Ningyou whispered as Sasori came from the trees, "No no no no no…" She stumbled over. Itachi moved back to allow her to see her best friend.

Ningyou stared for a couple seconds in silence. Then, almost dream-like, she crouched down beside Karasu and began nudging her, all the while saying, "Karasu, wake up. Come on. We have to get back to the base. Karasu, don't ignore me. You'll bleed to death. Come on. Karasu, WAKE UP!" Her voice ended in a scream that echoed loudly as the tears began to flow. Giving Karasu a last shove, Ningyou sobbed without restraint. Her tears were like waterfalls, dripping down onto Karasu's peaceful face.

"She wanted me to tell you not to give up," Itachi murmured, watching Ningyou cry while keeping his face expressionless.

Ningyou looked up, feeling a fresh wave of fury as she took in Itachi's impassive face. "And what is that supposed to mean?" she hissed.

"Ningyou," Sasori laid a hand on his apprentice's shoulder, "please remember that you are speaking to Itachi. Let's go back to the base."

Ningyou had plenty more to say but decided to keep her mouth shut for now. She was still crying when the three, Itachi carrying Karasu, arrived at the base.

* * *

"I see," Pain said, "This is indeed shocking." He had just been told of Karasu's death and Fumetsu's betrayal.

"What should we do, Leader-sama?" Itami asked shakily, staring at Karasu's corpse. A couple clones were crying silently, while others looked deeply shaken.

"We will first deal with Fumetsu," Pain decided, "Hidan, will you please get your apprentice?"

A very pissed Hidan left the room to look for Fumetsu. After a couple minutes, he shouted, "She's nowhere in the base!"

Whispers of alarm rippled through the assembled Akatsuki and clones. "Sakan isn't here, either," Kisame realized.

Total silence fell as something clicked into place in everyone's minds. "Konan, Tenchi, Zetsu, and Kisame!" Pain roared, "Find those two!"

The named ninjas vanished immediately.

* * *

"Why couldn't we just train at the base?" Sakan asked irritably.

"Because the Akatsuki and other clones will just make us stop, idiot shark," Fumetsu replied just as irritably while beating branches out of the way.

"Well, are we there yet?" Sakan snapped.

"Shut up, and yes!" They halted at a small pond.

"Finally!" Sakan grabbed his Samehada copy, "Let's get going. The sooner we finish, the sooner we head back and the sooner I can…"

He was interrupted by another voice shouting, "That's Hoshigaki Kisame! A member of the Akatsuki!"

In an instant, Sakan was surrounded by four Konoha shinobi. One was a kunoichi with blonde hair tied in two pigtails. There was a white-haired man, a silver-haired man, and another guy with very bushy eyebrows and a bowl cut.

"We're gonna take down the Monster of the Hidden Mist today!" the guy with the bowl cut hooted.

"Be careful, Gai, there might be other Akatsuki members around," the silver-haired man cautioned.

Sakan looked around. Fumetsu had disappeared. _Where did she…?_ He had to concentrate to block a kick aimed at him from Gai.

"Gai, don't attack so rashly!" the blonde kunoichi barked.

"Tsunade, we already know his abilities. Let's attack!" the white-haired man readied himself.

"No, Jiraiya! His abilities could have changed. We must be cautious," Tsunade snapped. She turned to the silver-haired ninja, "Kakashi, assess him with your Sharingan."

Sakan's eyes widened. Someone outside of the Uchiha Clan had the Sharingan? He needed Karasu, since only someone with a Sharingan could hope to take on another Sharingan.

"Don't even think about trying to escape," Kakashi said as he revealed the Sharingan, which only turned out to be his left eye.

"Let the mighty power of youth stop this raging beast!" Gai hollered.

Everyone sweatdropped.

* * *

"He's cornered by four elite Konoha shinobi!" Zetsu reported.

"Sakan is strong, but he won't be able to beat four Konoha shinobi on his own," Tenchi said.

"We must hurry," Konan pushed the pace, "Where is Fumetsu?"

"**Fumetsu led Sakan into the ambush and disappeared,"** Black Zetsu growled.

Kisame snarled. Konan glanced at him and said, "Calm down, Kisame. We will save Sakan and deal with Fumetsu. Otherwise, we are not Akatsuki."

* * *

Sakan grunted as he blocked another attack from Gai. Kakashi threw some kunais at the clone, forcing Sakan to jump backward. Tsunade was waiting for him and landed a powerful punch to his chest. Sakan exploded, showering the Konoha shinobi with water.

"A water doppelganger," Jiraiya muttered. Kakashi whipped his head around, looking for the original.

Water Style: Water Shark Bomb!

A water shark leaped up from the pond and dived at the four ninjas. They scattered to avoid the assault, and the shark burst, sending water flying everywhere.

Kakashi whipped out another kunai and drove it into where the shark disappeared. Blood stained the water as Sakan reappeared, the kunai deep in his shoulder. He wrenched it out with a roar of pain and fury before swinging Samehada at Kakashi. Samehada managed to graze Kakashi's shoulder, ripping up flesh.

Kakashi fell back to be replaced with Jiraiya. "You're not gonna get out of this alive, Hoshigaki Kisame," Jiraiya declared.

"Are you deaf?" Sakan hissed, "I am not Kisame!"

"Don't lie!" Tsunade snapped from behind Sakan, "You look exactly like Kisame and your chakra patterns match the description. You also carry the sword Samehada."

Sakan growled. "How do you know I'm not a copy?"

"Water Doppelgangers do not have the exact amount of chakra as the original," Kakashi said calmly despite his bloody shoulder.

"I don't mean doppelgangers," Sakan snorted, "I mean an actual clone!"

"What are you talking about?" Tsunade looked wary.

Sakan snorted again. "Konoha ninja really are stupid, aren't they?"

"Even if we are stupid, we possess the power of youth!" Gai shouted.

"Shut up, Gai!" the other three yelled.

_**Ahhh, I had a hard time finding a way to end this chapter. *grips pounding head***_

_**I think I would like to see five more reviews before I update this story though, so get reviewing people!**_

_**Thanks for reading! :)**_


	22. The True Meaning of War

**_The author's note at the end of the last chapter was meant for a different story. Sorry for the confusion, although I would like to thank anyone who actually reviewed._**

Sakan bent over and coughed up blood, holding his hand over the bleeding gash that ran down his side. In his weakened state, he was unable to dodge the kick Tsunade aimed at him. Sakan was sent flying through the air, hitting a large rock and spitting up more blood.

Not giving Sakan a chance to recover, Kakashi attacked. Using kunais, he sliced more cuts on Sakan's chest. Blood gushed from the new wounds, staining the grass underneath. He could barely use any jutsus, since Jiraiya had placed a seal on him. Now, more than half of his chakra was sealed away, and if he tried to break the seal by force, the seal would sap away his life energy, thus killing him.

Sakan couldn't escape either, since there were four enemies and all of them were powerful ninjas. He needed a miracle.

"Not so high and mighty now, hunh, Akatsuki?" Gai grinned down at him.

"Better to have been high and mighty than never have been at all," Sakan retorted.

"What did you say, Hoshigaki?" Tsunade slugged him in the chest. Hard.

Blackness pressed in on Sakan's vision, threatening to engulf him, but Sakan fought back, resisting unconsciousness or death.

_Fumetsu. This was all Fumetsu's doing. I should send a messenger shark to the rest, but I would definitely die if I try. Running away isn't an option since there are four of them; two being part of the Legendary Sannin, one being a Sharingan wielder, and the last one…I don't know what the hell he is. I can't win this battle against them. Seems like all options lead to death._

"I can't believe the shark knows how to think!" Tsunade mocked.

"At least it's something you can't do," Sakan snapped back. Tsunade raised her fist to hit him again, but was cut off by Jiraiya.

"Tsunade! Don't waste your chakra with blows. Let's seal him and bring him back to Konoha for interrogation!"

Sakan snorted. "I've already made my decision, and I'm sorry to say that it doesn't involve me seeing Konoha!"

"What?" Kakashi's eyes widened.

Sakan had already started to form hand signs, making the Konoha attackers jump back to avoid what they thought would be an attack. They were surprised, however, when all Sakan did was spit out a tiny shark. The shark landed in a water bubble, carrying a scroll in its mouth, and sped away in the direction of the Akatsuki base.

"How did he break the seal?" Jiraiya shouted.

"I didn't break it," Sakan grinned, blood spurting from his mouth, "I merely fought it, withdrew some chakra, and performed a jutsu that allows me to send messages."

"Didn't you know that struggling against the seal saps away your life energy?" Kakashi was disbelieving.

Sakan fell to his knees. "Heh. I knew that. I'm not an idiot. And don't forget, I chose this path." Still smiling, he collapsed on the ground and did not move.

"He's dead?" Gai stared at the limp clone.

"I can't believe that a member of the Akatsuki chose to die in order to protect his comrades…if they consider other members comrades," Tsunade murmured.

Jiraiya straightened up. "Anyway, we're still taking his corpse back to Konoha. Let's go."

* * *

Tenchi, Kisame, and Konan were jumping through the trees when they saw something blue darting towards them. Halting, they peered warily at the shape, rushing forward once they realized it was one of Sakan's messenger sharks.

Kisame dispelled the shark with a swipe of Samehada and took the scroll. "'Fumetsu is a traitor. Don't come any farther. It's too late'," he read out loud. Grinding his teeth, he continued to run in the direction the messenger shark had come from, Tenchi and Konan at his heels.

The three skidded to a halt at the edge of the pond just as Zetsu emerged from the ground.

"**Watch where you're going!"** Black Zetsu snapped at Tenchi, who had almost stepped on him.

"Sorry!"

"He's not here…" Konan murmured, walking onto the surface of the lake.

Tenchi noticed Kisame crouched over something on the grass. Walking up as quietly as he could, he peered over Kisame's shoulder and saw blood splattered all over the grass like a painting done by a little kid.

"We really were too late," White Zetsu sighed sadly.

* * *

"So Sakan is dead as well."

"Yes, Leader-sama," Konan confirmed.

"What about his body?"

"Since there was no sign of a corpse, I'm guessing that the assailants took any dead with them."

"I wanted to eat the corpses!" White Zetsu complained.

Deidara whacked Zetsu's head. "This isn't the time for that, hmm!" he snapped.

"Thank you, Deidara," Pain said coldly. "Everyone is dismissed. Use your time now to mourn for Karasu and Sakan." He turned and left the room. _We have already lost two of our friends._

* * *

Itachi stood at Karasu's head, thinking back to the day he spoke to her about the Mangekyou Sharingan.

"_You kill your best friend."_

"_Kill…my best friend?" she repeated, eyes wide._

_I held her gaze. "Not only must you kill him or her, you must also feel the pain of the murder. Would you do it to gain power?"_

_She remained silent. I could tell she was thinking, so I decided to give her a little time._

"_I still don't have a clear understanding of what the Mangekyou Sharingan does, however…" she looked me straight in the eye, "I would never kill my best friend for power. My only goal in this lifetime is to protect those that I acknowledge as my comrades."_

"You fulfilled your dream, Karasu," Itachi whispered, gently resting his hand on his apprentice's frozen one.

* * *

Ningyou's tears had long dried, and she sat in her room gazing up at the sky.

"_And also…" she leaned in a little to whisper in my ear, "you like Nendo, don't you?"_

_I blushed. "What! That's not true!"_

"_Then why are you blushing?" she smirked. I was speechless. Since when did Karasu smile?_

_She clearly took my silence as confirmation for what she said. "I knew it." She turned to leave the room._

_I grabbed the nearest thing, which was my pillow, and threw it at her. "Don't you dare tell anyone!"_

"_Sure." She left._

Ningyou buried her head in her arms, fresh tears cascading out of her eyes from the memory. "Karasu…please, come back," she begged/sobbed, even though her heart knew that was impossible.

Karasu was never coming back.

* * *

"Get a hold of yourself, Tenchi!" Itami shook her friend's shoulder firmly but gently.

"I failed my partner…" Tenchi muttered, tears falling from his eyes.

"You didn't fail anything, Tenchi," Itami contradicted gently, "Listen, one of these days before our five years are up, we're gonna find Orochimaru and avenge Karasu and Sakan, ok? We will make sure that Orochimaru understands the pain he sent us through."

"And Fumetsu," Tenchi added.

Itami smiled slightly. "Yes, and Fumetsu."

* * *

"The clones are very shocked, not to mention some of our members as well." Pain stared out the window at the pouring rain.

"The sky weeps as well." Konan stood beside her partner.

"Hopefully, the clones will be able to recover quickly."

"Do not expect too much from them, Nagato. This is their first time experiencing the pain of losing someone precious to them." Konan's voice had become sad.

"Like Yahiko." Pain closed his eyes and bowed his head, "But then again, this is the true meaning of war."

_**No announcements this time. Thanks for reading and reviews are appreciated!**_


	23. Know Pain

Fumetsu crept silently into the room, glancing around to make sure it was unoccupied. After ascertaining that she was alone, she dashed next to the tomb where Karasu's corpse lay. Whipping out a small knife, Fumetsu quickly ran the blade down Karasu's arm. Blood dripped out of the wound. Fumetsu snatched a narrow vial from her pocket and collected the blood, sealing the bottle before stowing it back into the pocket of her cloak.

* * *

Pain raked his eyes over the rest of the clones. Some of them were puffy-eyed, having spent the last couple of hours mourning their friends' deaths, while others were still in a deep state of shock.

He cleared his throat. "I'm sure we're all still mourning for the deaths of Karasu and Sakan, but we need to move on."

No reaction whatsoever from the clones except a few glances.

"Shiro and Kuroi must remain with each other from now on."

The two clones silently stood next to each other and fused, looking even more like Zetsu but without the green Venus-flytrap things.

Silence.

Pain was growing impatient. "This is enough!" he barked. Some of the clones jumped a mile in the air while others blinked.

Pain continued, "I agree it is sad that Karasu and Sakan both died, I know this is your first time experiencing great loss, and I can understand your grief. But you cannot remain this way!"

"…What would the Akatsuki know about it?" Sutetchi's quiet challenge broke the silence of the clones.

"What?" Pain paused for a second.

"You're all S-ranked criminals who are used to hiding emotions and feelings," all eyes darted to Itami, "How would you know what we feel when you have blocked yourselves from feeling anything?"

Konan looked at Pain, wondering if he would tell the clones about their past.

Pain remained silent for a couple more moments before speaking. "You are mistaken. I understand your feelings because I have felt the same way many years ago."

Everyone else remained quiet as Pain continued with his story.

"When I was just a child, I had lost both of my parents to Konoha. They were killed during Third Great Ninja War when Konoha shinobi mistook them for an enemy. I became an orphan. No friends, no relatives. I had nothing, until I met Konan and Yahiko. The three of us were all orphans. We became best friends, helping each other survive."

Pain took a deep breath and continued, "However, Yahiko was killed a couple years later in a trap laid by Hanzo and Danzo. They told me to either kill Yahiko or Konan would die. I didn't want either of them to go. I couldn't choose…but Yahiko chose for me." Pain's voice grew bitter at the memory of Yahiko impaling himself on the kunai.

Even the Akatsuki members were shocked. None of them, except Konan, knew what Pain had gone through in his childhood.

"What do you need us to do?" Itami asked quietly, signaling that she was ready to go and fight Orochimaru.

"I need someone to watch Orochimaru's movements. Preferably Zetsu or Kuroi and Shiro…" Pain ordered.

"We'll do it," Shiro volunteered. Kuroi nodded their heads.

"Wait," Tenchi said. He made sixteen small square sheets of paper fly off his face. Handing one to each member, he explained, "This way, we can stay in touch with one another."

Konan gave her apprentice an approving nod. The Akatsuki members who wore their forehead protectors tucked the paper away underneath it. Tenchi shook his head.

"Eat it," he commanded.

"What?" Deidara asked incredulously.

"Eat the paper."

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?" Itami asked, eyeing Tenchi as though the latter had gone insane.

"If you eat the paper, then you won't lose it. I would also be able to communicate with you through your mind as the digested paper enters your bloodstream and flows to your brain," Tenchi said, growing a little impatient.

"Is this even edible?" Sutetchi stuck a corner into his mouth, biting the paper carefully. It had no taste. He stuffed it into his mouth and swallowed, slightly surprised at how easily it slid down his throat.

The others quickly gulped down the paper, some making strange faces. Suddenly, Sasori froze.

"Hold on a second," he rasped, turning a little pale.

"What?" Kakuzu eyed the puppet master suspiciously.

"We just ate paper…" Sasori said slowly.

"And?" Sasori was making the others (minus Tenchi) nervous.

"The paper came from Tenchi's face…"

"…" No one said anything as the puzzle was starting to fall into place.

"Does that mean we just ate Tenchi?"

There was a total silence as the final piece clicked together in everyone's mind. Then, all heck broke loose as they started screaming.

"Oh, my God!" Ningyou shrieked, beating her fists on a wall.

"I think I'm gonna be sick, hmm." Nendo hunched over, hands over his mouth.

Hidan had already thrown up, his vomit splattered on the floor. Deidara's and Kisame's mouths had fallen open, gaping in shock. Itachi, Itami, Pain, and Konan looked disgusted but kept their composure. Kakuzu and Sutetchi looked as though they were about to stick a thread down their throats to fish the paper out. Zetsu, Kuroi and Shiro, and Tobi looked completely unfazed. In fact, Kuroi and Shiro merely sank through the ground, heading to Orochimaru's base.

"Wimps," Tenchi muttered, observing his companions' reactions to Sasori's theory.

_**I'm sorry I haven't updated in so long. I had a long bout of writer's block. But I finally updated, so don't be mad anymore!**_

_**Reviews are appreciated, and thanks for reading!**_


	24. Two Birds With One Stone

"You think this'll work?" Shiro wondered, passing through the walls of Orochimaru's hideout.

"**It should,**" Kuroi replied, "**Leader-sama told us that Orochimaru is not a sensory ninja and even if he was, we cannot be found while traveling in the walls."**

"Only the Sharingan, Byakugan, and Rinnegan can see us when we go through walls, right?"

"**Yes, and Orochimaru has none of those Kekkei Genkais."**

"Then this mission should be pretty easy."

"**Don't get overconfident. Orochimaru must not be underestimated, according to Sasori-san.**"

"Ah, yes. Sasori-san and Orochimaru were former partners when Orochimaru was in Akatsuki."

"**To tell you the truth, I'm glad he left before we came around.**"

"I agree. He gives me the creeps and we've only met him once."

"**Not to mention he's pretty much responsible for this mess. Karasu and Sakan died because of this.**"

"That bastard…"

"**Shh! Someone's coming!**"

Kuroi and Shiro froze in the wall, listening to the approaching pair of footsteps. Two figures came around the corner. Both were male and had a rope tied around their waist. Kuroi and Shiro recognized one of them as one of the ones who had accompanied Orochimaru to threaten the Akatsuki, but they did not know his name. He had orange hair that was sticking up in a Mohawk and he towered over the other person. Not to mention, he was terribly fat.

"You took too much time, Jirobo, now we're late for the meeting," the shorter man said.

The fat man, Jirobo, growled, "I needed to feed, Kimimaro, you know I get hungry a lot."

Kimimaro had pale skin with green eyes and two red dots on his forehead. His white hair reached to his shoulders, some tied in mismatching ponytails. Even though he didn't look as strong as Jirobo, Kuroi and Shiro could sense a dangerous aura flowing off his body.

Jirobo and Kimimaro walked past where Kuroi and Shiro hid, disappearing around the corner.

"Do we follow them?" Shiro asked once the two Sound Ninjas were out of earshot.

_Yes. _Kuroi and Shiro stared at each other since it wasn't Kuroi who answered.

"**Who's there?"** Kuroi asked cautiously.

The voice scoffed. _Really, guys? Paper?_

"Oh, it's just you, Tenshi," Shiro sighed in relief, "You scared us for a bit there."

_You should've remembered that eating my paper would allow me to communicate with you. _Tenshi's voice rang though their minds.

"Heh, my bad." Shiro grinned sheepishly.

"**So we follow those two?**" Kuroi asked, starting to inch Shiro and himself forward.

_Yes, and remember to be extra careful. We don't know Jirobo and Kimimaro's abilities, but they're probably not sensory ninjas. However, there might be more small fry in the hideout._

"**Small fry?**" Kuroi and Shiro had rounded the corner.

_I couldn't think of any other names for them, and they most certainly aren't the big boss._

"We get it, Tenshi, no need to get worked up," Shiro murmured as they neared an occupied room.

_I was not worked up. Now, I should leave so you two can do your spying mission properly. I'll be watching though. Be careful!_

"**He was worked up,**" Kuroi grumbled as he and Shiro settled down to watch the room's occupants, "**And there's the snake bastard.**"

Sure enough, Orochimaru, Kimimaro, and Jirobo along with a blue-haired, two-headed man and a pink-haired woman were in the room. Fumetsu stood a little off to the side, eyeing the others warily. Kuroi felt Shiro's chakra twitch and glanced over to see his white counterpart glaring furiously at the traitor.

"**Calm down,**" Kuroi whispered, "**We're not here to do anything other than spy.**"

Shiro breathed in deeply, unclenching his fist. Together, they listened in on the conversation between the Sound Ninjas and Orochimaru.

"I will split you into pairs since Kidomaru was killed by the crow," Orochimaru instructed.

The pink-haired woman sneered, "Weakling. I wouldn't have died if it was me."

"Tayuya, a lady shouldn't speak so…" Jirobo began.

"Shut up, fatso!" Tayuya snarled.

The blue-haired man ignored the arguing two. "Orochimaru-sama, even if we come up with a strategy, the Akatsuki still outnumbers us. What are you going to do about that?"

Orochimaru smirked. "Relax, Sakon. I have my jutsu, remember?"

"Edo Tensei?" Kimimaro's eyes flicked towards his master.

"Precisely." Orochimaru's eyes gleamed, "It's a shame I don't have a living sacrifice right now, or I would show you how the technique works."

"Use her." Tayuya jabbed her thumb at Fumetsu, "We don't need her."

Fumetsu whipped out her scythe. "I'm immortal, bitch. You're not!" she hissed.

Tayuya gave Fumetsu a disgusted look. "You may be immortal but if you were blasted to pieces or something, you'd still be useless."

Fumetsu was about to rush forward when Orochimaru stepped between them. "Tayuya, I thought we agreed to accept Fumetsu-kun as one of our own."

"Don't call me Fumetsu-kun!" Fumetsu snarled. Tayuya and Orochimaru ignored her.

"I did," Tayuya argued, "Until her _friend_ decided to show up in our hideout!"

Kuroi and Shiro froze.

"Ah, yes. I was about to bring that up." Orochimaru licked his lips hungrily, "Tayuya, would you like to do us the honor of bringing them out?"

_This is bad! You two, get out of there now!_ Tenshi's panicked voice echoed in Kuroi's and Shiro's mind, but the two clones were too slow. Tayuya began playing her flute, trapping Kuroi and Shiro in a genjutsu and forcing them to walk out of the wall, into plain view.

Orochimaru's grin grew wider. "Perfect," he hissed softly as he began to form signs.

Kuroi and Shiro were jolted out of the genjutsu as they began to be engulfed by tatters of material. Their first instinct was to run, but they were rooted to the ground unable to move. The only thing they were capable of accomplishing was screaming in pain as they were completely covered and everything went black.

* * *

"Kuroi! Shiro! Answer me, one of you!" Tenshi yelled desperately, crouching in his room in the Akatsuki base. Itami sat beside her friend, worried and ready to comfort him if he lost control.

Footsteps echoed in the hall and Konan and Pain appeared in the doorway a few seconds later.

"What's going on?" Pain demanded, taking in the scene as Konan strode over to her apprentice's side.

"Kuroi and Shiro aren't replying Tenshi's messages. We lost contact with them just a few seconds ago," Itami explained.

"Are they…?" Konan asked softly, making sure Tenshi couldn't hear her.

Itami bit her lip.

"Hey, fuckers! I heard someone yelling!" Hidan appeared with the rest of Akatsuki on his heels, "What's going on?"

Pain sighed. "We might have just lost another two members."

Hidan's jaw dropped to the ground. Deidara pushed his way to the front. "How can you be sure, hmm?" he demanded.

"We lost all contact with Kuroi and Shiro," Pain told them.

"Was it Orochimaru?" Itachi asked quietly.

Pain nodded. "It seems like it."

"He was using Edo Tensei," Tenshi whispered dully, standing up, "I could see it from Kuroi's and Shiro's eyes."

"Who did he resurrect?" Pain asked gently.

Tenshi shook his head. "That, I couldn't see. Everything went dark. I did get some of Orochimaru's plans though."

"Go on," Pain encouraged.

"He said that he was going to divide these four people into pairs," Tenshi reported, "I remember their names: Jirobo, Tayuya, Sakon, and Kimimaro."

"Leader, those four are part of the Sound Ninja Five," Zetsu informed Pain, "**The fifth one was Kidomaru, the one who fought Karasu.**"

Pain nodded. "Anything else?" he questioned Tenshi.

"Fumetsu will be part of the enemy."

Hidan gnashed his teeth. "I will deal with that traitorous bitch!" he stated.

"It's probably best if you do," Pain asserted, "You are immortal, so you can withstand Fumetsu's curse-jutsu."

"And Pain?" Tenshi wasn't done with his report yet.

"Yes?"

"Orochimaru plans to use Edo Tensei against us since we outnumber him."

Pain blinked. "Thank you, Tenshi."

"All of you are dismissed," he addressed the Akatsuki, "I want Konan, Itami, Tenshi, Itachi, and Sasori to report to my office to discuss further plans."

* * *

"So kind of you to join us, Karasu." Orochimaru gave the deceased clone a sick smile.

Karasu stared back coldly, her eyes bearing black sclerae, the mark of someone summoned by Edo Tensei. "I just couldn't refuse a chance to watch the old snake die," she retorted icily.

"Show some respect to Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto snapped. He had arrived to watch the Edo Tensei technique.

Karasu rolled her eyes. "I thought that the sayings were always about showing the dead respect, but I guess you don't do that. Especially since you perform your sick experiments on corpses."

Kabuto took out a kunai and, in one fluid motion, sliced off Karasu's arm. To the surprise of the others in the room (expect Orochimaru and Kabuto), no blood poured from the wound. Instead, the arm reformed from the same tattered material that made up Karasu's resurrected body. In seconds, the limb had become as good as new.

"Manners, Kabuto," Orochimaru reprimanded softly. Kabuto backed away, muttering an insincere apology.

Orochimaru circled Karasu. "I must say, Karasu-kun, I'm glad you're not wearing that awful cloak of theirs." It was true. Karasu wasn't dressed in an Akatsuki cloak, but rather in a dark red cloak with a hood.

Karasu said nothing, but merely turned her head to follow Orochimaru.

"I suppose I should get you caught up in the recent events," Orochimaru sighed, "Let's see…the clone of Hoshigaki Kisame died shortly after you did, Fumetsu-kun here has joined our ranks, and the clones of Zetsu were used to bring you back so you could experience war."

Karasu's gaze became a glare. Orochimaru chuckled.

"My, my. You look even more like Itachi-san when you glare," he observed, "Back to business. You and Fumetsu-kun will be a pair. The Immortal Duo. What do you think?"

"I think you have a death wish," Karasu stated calmly.

Orochimaru laughed. "Coming from the one who's already dead."

* * *

_**Finally, a new chapter! I had a severe case of writer's block for this. My apologies. But I'm back now!**_

_**REVIEW, EVERYONE! I MADE THIS CHAPTER LONGER TO MAKE UP FOR LACK OF UPDATES!**_


	25. Clash!

_**I think this story might reach 40 chapters before it's finished. I didn't expect it to be this long when I started it.**_

~0~

"Itachi, Ningyou, and Sasori will be in charge of sealing the undead ninjas," Pain instructed, "Itami, Tenchi, and Sutetchi will be locating and taking care of Kabuto."

"Got it, Leader!" Itami saluted.

"Hidan, Kakuzu and Kisame will apprehend Fumetsu. Now, before you say something, Hidan," Pain said as Hidan opened his mouth, "We don't know what Fumetsu has been doing since she defected. We must take extra precautions." Hidan closed his mouth, still looking angry.

"Nendo and Deidara, you two will be using bombs to try and stall the Edo Tensei shinobi so Itachi, Ningyou, and Sasori can seal them," Pain said.

"What about Tobi?" Tobi bounced up and down, waving his arms in the air, "Tobi wants to help!"

"You and Zetsu are messengers," Pain decided.

"Oh, cool! What do messengers do?"

"They deliver messages," Pain explained through gritted teeth.

"Yay! Tobi gets to deliver messages!" The orange-masked man danced around the room to the annoyance of the other members.

"Enough!" barked Pain. Tobi immediately fell still.

"What about you and Konan, Leader-sama?" Kisame asked bravely.

"Konan and I will be hunting for Orochimaru," Pain told him, "However; Konan will assist you all if needed, though I highly doubt that you will need Konan's help."

"We'll do this, Leader-sama, hmm!" Nendo declared eagerly.

"When do we set out?" Tenchi asked.

"When everybody is ready," Pain said, "I want all of you at the main entrance of the base by noon."

~0~

"Is everyone ready?" Orochimaru hissed, eyes raking his army, "I want to set out by noon."

Tayuya made a 'tch' noise. "There's still that fatty Jirobo," she told Orochimaru, "He's not done gorging himself yet."

"Anybody else?"

"Kimimaro's down in the dungeon talking to Juugo, and the clone is currently sharpening her scythe."

"Well, they shouldn't take long," Orochimaru mused, "We still have about half an hour. You remember the plan?"

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama." Tayuya mentally rolled her eyes.

"Recite it to me."

The pink-haired Sound Ninja sighed before repeating the plan. "The Sound Ninja Four will not engage any of the original Akatsuki members in a battle. Instead, we will be dealing with the clones. You and Kabuto-san will be taking care of Pain and his sidekick. The Edo Tensei army will attack the other Akatsuki members."

"You've forgotten Fumetsu-chan and Karasu-chan."

"Those two will have the same purpose as the Sound Ninja Four, which is to eliminate the clones."

Orochimaru gave a satisfied smirk. "Well done, Tayuya."

"At least you didn't pair me up with the fatso," Tayuya muttered, "Not that Kimimaro's any better."

"Stop complaining, Tayuya," Sakon snapped, "I'd rather be alone than in pairs."

"Oh, but aren't you in a pair permanently?" Tayuya sneered.

Sakon scowled. "Ukon is different," he growled.

"Because he's your brother?" Tayuya jeered, "Are you doing _shameful acts_ with him? Guilty of incest?"

Before Sakon could react, Kimimaro and Jirobo arrived in the room. "Tayuya, a lady shouldn't be so…" Jirobo began.

"Shut UP, FATSO!" Tayuya and Sakon roared at the same time.

"Enough," Kimimaro ordered. Tayuya shot him a venomous look before turning away from Sakon with a huff. Sakon curled his lip before turning to Orochimaru, who had been watching the argument with amusement.

"Is everyone here yet?" Sakon growled, "I want to go and kill those Akatsuki scum now."

"There's still…" Jirobo started.

Fumetsu came storming in with Karasu behind her. "When are we leaving? I need some fucking people to kill."

Karasu remained silent, but everyone else could practically feel the fury and hatred radiating off of her.

"What's the matter, Karasu-chan?" Orochimaru taunted, "You don't like being controlled?"

The resurrected kunoichi glared at him but didn't do anything else. She knew that her movements were limited and any attempt to attack Orochimaru would be thwarted.

"Orochimaru-sama, everything is ready." Kabuto entered the room, pushing up his glasses.

"Excellent. We get to leave fifteen minutes earlier than expected," Orochimaru hissed with satisfaction, "Everyone head out and show the Akatsuki filth their place. Kabuto, stay for now."

Karasu's hands moved on their own to put on the red hood attached to her cloak. Orochimaru wore his signature smirk. "I want you to be a surprise for your friends, Karasu-chan," he explained, forcing Karasu to move with the rest of the Edo Tensei army.

~0~

"Why the fuck are we waiting here, Leader?" Hidan asked irritably. The Akatsuki was crowded around the main entrance to the Amegakure base.

"I have told you already, Hidan," Pain snapped irritably, "We need to wait for Zetsu to return with his report before we move."

"Just wait it out, Hidan," Kakuzu ordered gruffly.

"Shut the hell up, you old fool!" Hidan retorted.

"You shut up or I will stitch your mouth," Sutetchi threatened, one of his black threads weaving around him.

"Apprentice sticking up for the master now, hunh?" Hidan mocked.

Before anyone could reply to that, Zetsu appeared from the ground. "Leader-sama, the enemy has set out already. **They're approaching relatively quickly. **The Edo Tensei army isn't as big as we thought it would be. **We did see Fumetsu though, and the remaining Sound Ninja Five.** Orochimaru and Kabuto are still in Otogakure. **They're not a part of the army yet.**"

"All right," Pain said, "Let's go."

Deidara and Nendo hopped on the clay birds that they had prepared and went a little ways ahead of the rest of the group.

"Zetsu, go with Sutetchi's group for now. Tobi, stay with Deidara and Nendo until you have messages to deliver," Pain instructed while running.

Tobi ran to where Deidara and Nendo hovered in the sky, shouting, "Deidara-senpai, Leader-sama says that I have to stay with you!"

The ones on the ground could practically hear Deidara gnashing his teeth. Nevertheless, his bird flew lower, allowing Tobi to jump on.

"Itachi's group, head to the right and wait for Deidara's signal!" Itachi, Sasori, and Ningyou immediately broke away from the main group, heading into the woods to hide.

"Itami, Tenchi, and Sutetchi, you three will stick with me and Konan."

"We know, Pain-san," Itami answered, following her mentor closely.

"Hidan, Kakuzu, and Kisame, you three will stay out of the fighting until you find Fumetsu. I don't want you hurt before you accomplish your goal."

"Understood, Leader-sama," Kakuzu said, glaring at Hidan.

"Fucking whatever," the zealot grumbled.

"Where should we wait?" Kisame asked.

"To the left of the army," Pain decided, "Only attack after Fumetsu is within range."

"We got it," Kakuzu reassured as the three ninjas broke off to the left.

A loud explosion sounded in front of Pain, Konan, Itami, Tenchi, and Sutetchi. The undead army must have arrived. Sure enough, the front of the army appeared a couple seconds later, charging in the direction of Amegakure.

"Ready," Pain's voice was low and deadly.

The four accompanying him tensed.

"Go!"

At Pain's command, the five jumped up, out of the resurrected shinobis' way, and onto a flock of clay birds that Deidara and Nendo had created seconds ago. The birds flew them over the army, dropping the five off behind the military, and promptly dove into the midst of the troops, exploding with a huge amount of force.

"Will the others be okay?" Itami asked as she followed Pain away from the undead.

"They are ready for this," Pain asserted quietly.

~0~

_**I was thinking about stopping the chapter here, but I decided to add a bit more. Besides, this seemed like a boring place to end.**_

~0~

"Ningyou, look out!" Ningyou turned in time to see an undead ninja get impaled by Itachi's Totsuka Blade.

"Thanks for the save, Itachi-san!" Ningyou called. Itachi looked absolutely exhausted. His eye was bleeding and he was breathing heavily. Sasori had been forced out of Hiruko, which lay in pieces nearby as he used the Third Kazekage, himself, and his Secret Red Technique all at once. Ningyou commanded her own puppet, Porcupine, to fire more weapons at the oncoming enemy. The weapons were imbued with a sealing power that locked up the soul of the Edo Tensei shinobi. Upon piercing the target, the sealing technique activates and seals the soul. Once sealed, the soul was trapped forever.

A bomb went off about five feet away from Ningyou, sending her skidding across the ground.

"Oops! My bad, Ningyou!" Nendo called, peering anxiously over the edge of his bird.

"Be careful, Nendo!" Ningyou shouted back.

Nendo opened his mouth to say something else, but a chain came out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his waist. The blonde clone was yanked off his bird with a shout of surprise.

"Nendo!"

"Ningyou, Nendo can take care of himself," Sasori appeared next to her, "He's the brat's clone, and the brat is very stubborn. He'll get back on his bird soon."

Ningyou scanned the battle frantically, but couldn't see Nendo anywhere. Suddenly, Sasori cursed. The Third Kazekage had been smashed to pieces by an Edo Tensei ninja.

Ningyou sent her puppet, Drill, at the attacking Edo Tensei shinobi, only to have the opponent dodge every attack made by Drill's, well, drill. Ningyou frowned. None of the other resurrected shinobi had been able to evade her for this long.

The undead ninja's hood fell off in mid-flip, and Ningyou had a full glance at her adversary's face. Her eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

"Oh, my God…"

~0~

_**I feel as though I'm getting worse at writing cliffhangers. *goes to a corner and cries about losing my skill***_

_**The STAAR test is finally over! :D Although I liked it better with the testing because I got to miss the first five classes of the school day. I basically only had to attend two classes, which was totally awesome.**_

_**R & R!**_


	26. IMPORTANT!

_**Attention, all!**_

_**Due to the ridiculously large amount of schoolwork/homework I have and my desire to do well in my classes, I will NOT be updating my stories again until June. I will still be writing when I have free time, but I won't be uploading any chapters until school lets out.**_

_**Sorry to disappoint, but if I don't do well in school, I may never update again. It's better this way, trust me.**_

_**Thanks! ~Itachi-21**_


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